Not to bust on what they're doing, but it seems like React may not have been the best initial choice. However, it seems like the investment time aspect means the chance of learning is worth more than the "best tool" aspect.<p>I like that they were able to admit to not doing something the best way and then shared how they made it better. It makes me more curious to try out Phoenix as well.
Elixir is riding a hype-wave similar (but much smaller) to JavaSciprt ~two years ago. "I rewrote X for almost on reason with framework Y and experienced a result."<p>Still cool though. Advancement is tons of fun, and as we know there are now 4 ways to skin a cat.
A screenshot of the app would help make more sense of this to an external audience. Right now it sounds like just a blog with comments, so not sure why a custom app was needed in the first place.