React is popular in the modern days only because, well, it's popular. Developers use it because companies use it, and companies use it because developers use it. It's not popular because it's better than all the alternatives, it's just that it has reached critical mass, and it's now "too big to fail". It takes constant effort to avoid React's many footguns. Supporters often call this a “skill issue,” but even if that’s true, why wouldn’t you prefer a framework that does the same things with less code, faster, and with far less mental overhead?