> cranking out a react app that's "completely static or a simple form with less than 5 fields" is something one developer should be able to do in a day or two after reading a basic react tutorial

I've only done very basic web development during my career, and absolutely no javascript. But, I've been learning React for a week or so and that's something I could do in a few minutes. 6 months is insane, hyperbolic, and probably untrue.