[onion2k]

hooks are inferior to the older lifecycle methods (in creating understandable, maintainable code)

If the lifecycle methods you're referring to are things like componentWillReceiveProps or getDerivedStateFromProps then the React blog covers why they were problematic https://reactjs.org/blog/2018/06/07/you-probably-dont-need-d.... It was very common for developers to make things that would repeatedly rerender when other parts of their app updated. Hooks make that far less likely to happen.

That said, I agree that a getDerivedStateFromProps method is more readable and much clearer than useEffect(()=>{ // stuff }, [big, list, of, props]);

[bryanrasmussen]

that a particular way of doing things was problematic for the community as a whole when measured across all usages does not invalidate the observation that there were some usages in which that particular way seemed better.

when, as I often encounter, organizations mandate all hooks all the time they are not throwing the baby out with the bathwater, but they are maybe throwing out the baby's rubber duckie without considering that might be useful to have around at times.