I think there are always ways to minimize coupling. For example if most of the code you write is pure functions operating on values, then swapping out your ORM

I think there are always ways to minimize coupling. For example if most of the code you write is pure functions operating on values, then swapping out your ORM might be a bit laborious, but it's going to be largely just a matter of typing, not tricky problem solving. And like for example if you want to change web frameworks, that's something you can do incrementally. If you're talking about front-end, just find a way to encapsulate your old code behind a clean interface and start implementing new components in the new framework. If you're talking about back-end, then you can just implement new endpoints in a new language if you want even, and gradually migrate things over when you have to modify them.