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Better with Kent · July 9 · 11 min

The Framework wars are over. Why no one dethroned React

Kent reacts to Dax's question on X — why no framework dethroned React — and connects it to Jobs Theory, network effects, and why framework choice matters less when agents write the code. Chapters 00:00 — Why did nobody dethrone React? 00:24 — Dax's question on X 00:49 — React is the last UI library (2020) 02:47 — Functional first, then social and emotional 03:36 — What made React functionally better 06:43 — Network effects and "nobody got fired for choosing React" 07:38 — Why framework choice matters less with agents 09:27 — Jobs Theory: apply this to everything you ship 11:14 — Wrap-up Better with Kent — durable skills for people who ship software. Every few years the internet declares the framework wars over — usually with React as the loser. Svelte was going to win. Then Solid. Vue had its moment. Angular never left. And somehow, after a decade of "React is dead" takes, React is still the default for an absurd amount of real product work. Kent's take: React won functionally first (state sync, composition, drop-in UI focus), then socially and emotionally once it hit critical mass. Challengers can still be "better" on paper — but once agents can use any capable stack, the throne fight stops mattering the way it used to. Links Dax (@thdxr) — why no framework dethroned React Kent (2020) — React is the last UI library anyone needs to learn Better with Kent — Practical Jobs Theory Watch on YouTube Better with Kent React Become an Epic Product Engineer

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show notes

Kent reacts to Dax's question on X — why no framework dethroned React — and connects it to Jobs Theory, network effects, and why framework choice matters less when agents write the code.

Chapters

  • 00:00 — Why did nobody dethrone React?
  • 00:24 — Dax's question on X
  • 00:49 — React is the last UI library (2020)
  • 02:47 — Functional first, then social and emotional
  • 03:36 — What made React functionally better
  • 06:43 — Network effects and "nobody got fired for choosing React"
  • 07:38 — Why framework choice matters less with agents
  • 09:27 — Jobs Theory: apply this to everything you ship
  • 11:14 — Wrap-up


Better with Kent — durable skills for people who ship software.

Every few years the internet declares the framework wars over — usually with React as the loser. Svelte was going to win. Then Solid. Vue had its moment. Angular never left. And somehow, after a decade of "React is dead" takes, React is still the default for an absurd amount of real product work.

Kent's take: React won functionally first (state sync, composition, drop-in UI focus), then socially and emotionally once it hit critical mass. Challengers can still be "better" on paper — but once agents can use any capable stack, the throne fight stops mattering the way it used to.

Links

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