Tech Evangelism

Evangelical language permeates tech culture. “Angel investors” provide financing to small start-ups, business how-to books compare dedicated customers to “true believers,” and many technology companies have people on their payroll with the official title of “evangelist.” Part marketer, part missionary, and part teacher, the technology evangelist “educates customers and other key market players about the benefits of specific technology, including platforms, software tools, and applications.” Based on interviews with technology evangelists and an analysis of the business literature that gave rise to technology evangelism, this paper traces how since the late 1980s what I call Christianesque ideas about the transmission of life-changing good news, conversion, and discipleship have come to structure the interpersonal and financial relationships at the foundation of technological innovation, sales, and adoption.