Summary & Key Takeaways ​

• The article questions the widespread use of 'state management' libraries in React, given React's own state management capabilities.
• It points out the linguistic confusion and redundancy when multiple 'state management' systems are used in a single application.
• Russell argues that either React's state management is sufficient, or it's inadequate, leading to unnecessary dependencies.
• The piece encourages developers to critically evaluate their choices and avoid over-engineering with duplicative solutions.

Our Commentary ​

Alex Russell always brings the heat, and this piece is no exception. 'State management' in React is a mess, and I'm glad someone is calling it out. We've all been there, staring at a project with Redux, Zustand, and Jotai all trying to manage 'state.' It's absurd. His Socratic dialogue perfectly captures the confusion. It makes me wonder if we've collectively lost the plot on what 'state' even means anymore. This is a necessary gut-check for the React community.