How often does static kill computer components? In the past? Now? What's the difference?
I worked at a big semiconductor manufacturer last year as a software-developer and I had to handle expensive prototype chips, so I got an ESD training.

The take away was, that completely destroying a chip via ESD does happen, but it happens rarely and is not much of a problem because it is easy to troubleshoot. Doesn't work? Then it's probably broken.

The real danger of ESD is, that you may damage chips in subtle ways. They continue to work 99% of the time, but once in a while, on a hot and dry summer day they behave erratic. 

If this happens to a PC graphic card it may just manifest in sporadic junk pixels or a crash once a year. Probably not a big deal for consumers and may even go unnoticed.

You definitely don't want sporadic misbehavior to happen in any kind of electronics that your life depend on. Think your car, the electronics in the airplane you're sitting in or the electronics of medical devices such as insulin pumps.

The good old wristband and an anti-static mat at your workplace prevents most  problems as soon as the chips are produced and in the package. The more safety critical it gets, the more you do against static: Special anti-static carpets and shoes with earth connection and the like.

Extra anecdote: The hardware engineers at semiconductor plants are very interested in chips that behave funny in a way or another. If they find one, they will take them apart to find out what's wrong. They want to make sure there is no problem in their manufacture process. I've been told that you get the death-stare if they wasted two days just to find out that you've been lazy with the wrist-band :-)