React isnt the one mandating how its used. It can be used in the way that the GP is talking about, but you can also keep the data entirely separate. Redux et al do exactly that. The main thing that the GP is missing is that, like with video games, in order to keep the view rendering smoothly, you need something like double buffering so that if the render isnt complete, you dont block. That is independent of how the data is being provided.