At Systems Distributed 2026 in Boston, Joran Dirk Greef's talk on Tiger Beetle blended technical claims with emotional presentation. The company asserted dominance in national exchange transactions and presented a Jepsen report affirming their reliability, wrapped in orchestral music and applause.

The author critiques this mode of persuasion as "tech evangelism," arguing that claims were delivered with conviction but lacked rigorous evidence or space for evaluation. This approach, seen elsewhere in Haskell advocacy, risks suppressing dissent and fostering belief-based decision-making over reasoned analysis.

The concern isn't with Tiger Beetle's technology itself, which employs deterministic testing and viewstamp replication, but with the framing that prioritizes inspiration over evidence. The author urges the tech community to demand receipts—empirical data and logical reasoning—rather than accepting grand missions on faith.

Drawing parallels to Boston's revolutionary history, the piece calls for a return to evidence-based discourse, where ideas are defended through merit and transparency, not charisma or emotional appeal.