React Realism: Is there another alternative?

React's reign over the frontend landscape is undeniable, but is it the only path to a great user experience? This talk cuts through the hype to offer a pragmatic look at the current state of frontend frameworks. We'll explore the real reasons behind React's dominance, then venture beyond to evaluate powerful alternatives like Svelte and Vue, comparing their developer experience and performance. Finally, we'll tackle the biggest shift in modern development: AI. Does it reinforce React's position, or does it level the playing field for its competitors? You'll leave with a clearer perspective on which tool is right for your next project in the age of AI.

Transcript

1. React Realism Is there another alternative? @luisrondow
2. whoami senior software engineer at Liminal organizer of Frontend.OPO
4. Perceived inevitability ≠ optimal choice
5. React won
6. massive & mature ecossystem
7. large hiring pool
8. "Two Google searches away" support culture
9. AI tools are trained on vast React Q&A/code
10. React is not a silver bullet
11. the effect problem
12. the effect problem
13. for highly interactive UIs, hydration can become the bottleneck
14. patterns proliferation choice overload
16. Is Vue a better option?
17. Vue understood our need for simplicity
20. Is Svelte a better option?
21. Svelte made speed feel effortless
23. no useEffect, no memo/callback updates are fine-grained, minimal runtime overhead
25. component-party.dev 🎉
26. the AI lock-in
27. LLMs default to React patterns (even in other stacks)
28. Not “best,” just most represented → most suggested
29. AI assistants steer devs back to React
30. what are the consequences?
31. New patterns are drowned by older training data Vue 2→3 style migrations are unlikely now
32. net effect
33. so...
34. ...is it the end of innovation?
35. ...will AI lock us forever?
37. Innovation shifts layers, it doesn’t disappear
38. QWERTY Realism
41. Lydia Hallie - "React Compiler Internals", React Summit 2025
42. Frameworks can guide AI with conventions, tooling, and first-class scaffolds
44. default ≠ destiny choose by constraints, not hype
45. thank you!
46. by: Loren Stewart https://www.lorenstew.art/blog/react-won-by-default/
47. thanks theo
48. questions?