One of the reasons is that libdispatch's I/O functions introduce extra dynamic allocations for internal queueing via `dispatch_async` ([0],[1],[2]) and from an API perspective of realloc-ing [3] an internally owned [4] buffer.
TigerBeetle, on the other hand, statically allocates all I/O buffers upfront [5], treats these buffers as intrusively-provided typed data [6] (no growing/owned buffers), and does internal queueing without synchronization or dynamic allocation [7].
At the time, we wanted to get macOS or Darwin running as soon as possible to improve the local developer experience, but—we've always had a soft spot for FreeBSD so kqueue was two birds in one!