Josh Koenig and Jason Yarrington Discuss PHP, JavaScript, and Agency Planning

Web agencies need to plan for JavaScript-focused development without assuming that established PHP platforms have lost their value. Josh Koenig, co-founder of Pantheon, and Jason Yarrington, founding partner at Fast Forward, made that case during a Pantheon livestream on 11 July 2026. Their discussion covered hiring, browser-based applications, new project work, and client decisions involving Drupal and WordPress.

Josh cited the 2025 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, which recorded JavaScript use among 66% of all respondents and PHP use among 18.9%. Node.js, React, jQuery, Next.js, and Express occupied the first five positions in the survey’s web frameworks and technologies category. The survey shows a large difference in reported use, but it does not establish which language developers learn first or directly measure agency hiring demand.

Jason said Fast Forward is receiving more requests for web applications and data interfaces rather than complete website redesigns. He described connecting JavaScript front ends to existing data sources or CMS infrastructure, while both speakers discussed component libraries and design systems that can work across Drupal, WordPress, and newer applications. Their position was not that agencies should immediately replace PHP systems, but that teams should preserve useful CMS infrastructure while choosing JavaScript for new interface and application work when it better fits the project.