Maybe. I suspect most people who say they prefer the java style are simply wrong. I don't think they've spun up on enough new projects to notice the extra weight that increased size and scale brings. Or they're assuming that the extra complexity is all necessary, and they're mistaken the same way I was while grading those assignments. (Aside: Isn't it super weird how reading code is so rarely encouraged at school?)

I suspect you could objectively measure this - take two implementations of the same problem; one small and one large but where the implementations do the same thing. For example, write a simple website using a stateful OO style. Then write the equivalent code using the mostly stateless react component style. The latter would be functionally equivalent, while using less code. The latter would also use much less local hidden state.

Then measure how long it takes new people to start making meaningful changes to the two respective codebases. I don't think its a matter of opinion or preference. I expect that the functional component model would come out as a clear productivity winner.

The easiest code to change is code you never needed to write in the first place.

The use case I gave is not a simple website, it's a code base with millions of lines of code. I agree that a simple website or small school project is a different situation with different needs.