Of course, there's a vast ecosystem still running shopping carts, forums and whatnot. It's much more prevalent that you seem to think. Just because it's not cool anymore (or well ever) doesn't mean it's dead.
It's refreshing (as far as PHP goes) and worth checking out with an open mind. Performance on the other hand, that take a little more work.
I'm guessing your benchmarks are using native php-fpm and not through docker on your MBP?
I'm not convinced it's the best for building e-commerce sites and whatever people are piggy-backing on top of WordPress nowadays.