React Won by Default – And It’s Killing Frontend Innovation
September 25, 2025
React is no longer winning by technical merit. Today it is winning by default. That default is now slowing innovation across the frontend ecosystem.When teams need a new frontend, the conversation rarely starts with “What are the constraints and which tool best fits them?” It often starts with “Let’s use React; everyone knows React.” That reflex creates a self-perpetuating cycle where network effects, rather than technical fit, decide architecture.
Source: React Won by Default – And It’s Killing Frontend Innovation | Loren Stewart
Critical look at where we are at in terms of front-end frameworks, how we got here, and where we might go next.
@conffab.com what "front end innovation" do we need at the moment?
Just how much code/bloat are you willing to download before you can see a web page rendered? Haven't we already gone far beyond what's reasonable?