ReactJs is a great way to write software. I'm far too time poor to waste my time on "being cool". I choose best of breed development tools that are well supported and allow me to be highly productive.
Only a fool would suggest that ReactJs is simply a hype trend like s new hairstyle.
Having state both in the front-end and in the back-end multiplies the complexity of any project, and the gains are only worth if you are (or you have) a good UI designer.
For the rest, the good'ol Rails + Turbolinks, jQuery and SJR can do a fantastic job, without having to think about synchronizing several sources of truth.
I guess this article is trying point out how people chose things based on hype but fails to understand the difference between choosing X because of hype vs. choosing X because it suits your needs.
To paraphrase Peter Hellier: if you stopped using extra words when one will suffice, maybe you wouldn't be.