Just a nitpick, but stateless/stateful are descriptions applied to protocols not applications. The mechanics of persisting application context between request/response events might be contentious and varied in web applications, but just because the protocol is stateless doesn't necessarily mean that your application is more difficult to maintain.

I agree with your point, but it is begging the question: are we overlooking the value/potential that a generation of developers found in the stateless nature of HTTP?