Seph Gentle is a prolific software researcher behind projects including the eg-walker paper and ShareJS, one of the oldest local-first open source projects. He worked on Google Wave back in 2010, then built ShareDB — the first realtime collaborative database built on top of Operational Transform.
" Using these new technologies to make the world more local-first, especially maybe parts that have been resistant to that. Breaking down data silos is one of the biggest ones that's been such a long running topic at Ink & Switch with projects like Cambria." @adamwiggins.com
"The story of computing is one of taking these computing things that are originally are heavy and slow and require a room size computer and making them smaller and cheaper and faster. And that just opens up all kinds of new use cases." @adamwiggins.com
@pfrazee.com is the CTO at @bsky.app and one of the codesigners of the AT Protocol. He's going to talk about the Atmosphere's ideals about open computing, and how the team views tackling scale as core to the mission.
" AI has been like one of the biggest unlocks to like just learn new things. I've gotten into so many new areas, like I've gotten deeper on like some hardware related things." @schickling.dev
@bumble.blue: Eileen is a Local-first software designer focused on crafting humane, resilient interfaces for data that lives on users’ own devices first. As curator of a UX pattern library for local-first apps, she translates complex sync and offline states into clear, trustworthy user experiences.
@schickling.dev: Co-founder of Prisma and early advocate for local-first products and infrastructure. Johannes works at the intersection of developer tools and humane software, backing projects that favour offline-first experiences, end-user ownership, and resilient distributed systems.
@geoffreylitt.com: Researcher and engineer working on malleable software, computing environments where anyone can adapt their tools to meet their needs with minimal friction. Previously at Ink & Switch and MIT, he now works at Notion, where he continues to explore AI-assisted programming.
@adamwiggins.com: Co-founder of Heroku, Muse, and Ink & Switch, and a champion of local-first software, helping to push the movement beyond theory through hands-on prototypes. He brings technical insight and a clear vision for apps that are fast, offline-capable, and truly owned by their users.
With two weeks left in the Local-First Conf CFP window, you might be wondering who judges the submissions.
Pleased to announce this year’s committee: @adamwiggins.com, @geoffreylitt.com, @schickling.dev, and @bumble.blue
This group has serious credentials. Details in the thread 👇
" The data is something that has a longer lifespan. It can move with you from product to product. " @adamwiggins.com
"Am I empowering my users to take their data and go to where they need to go when the time comes for that?" @adamwiggins.com
" Where do I back it up? Can I delete it, can I duplicate it, et cetera. There's a version of that for nations. And I think that's a little bit what Europe is grappling with right now." @adamwiggins.com
" One funny aspect of GDPR, like maybe one intended or unintended consequence, is that GDPR has had a massive impact on data compatibility." @schickling.dev
" Mobile basically abstracted files away. And that's kind of a win for most of the consumer use cases. But actually is disempowering for creative work that you wanna do." @adamwiggins.com
"I think local-first is still the guiding light for us. It's kinda like the gold standard for what software should feel like, what software should be architected around." @schickling.dev
"If what you're working on, which has something to do with empowering users or making computers and software and the internet freer and more capable for enhancing human life, then you should submit a talk." @adamwiggins.bsky.social
Sorry, yes a little typo here. 🤦 Martin!
"AI is really shaking up everything. I think this does not make local-first at all, less relevant. I think this is, as for most things, a huge tailwind. " @schickling.dev
Steve Ruiz joins us a speaker at Local-First Conf 2026. Steve is the founder of @tldraw.com, an infinite canvas SDK for the web. Steve and his team are using local-first principles in radical ways--hear more at the conf!
Our third #special is out.
CfP for @localfirstconf.com 2026 is open. @adamwiggins.bsky.social and @schickling.dev discuss this year’s conference themes.
Full episode links and show notes in the comments.
Has everyone seen the mini documentary about the Local-First community by @cultrepo.bsky.social? Worth a watch to get an introduction!
youtu.be/10d8HxS4y_g?...
We are excited to welcome @martin.kleppmann.com as a speaker for Local-First Conf 2026. Martin is one of the authors who coined the term and conceptualized the "local-first" movement. He is an Associate Professor at the Uni of Cambridge, working on decentralised systems and cryptographic protocols.
👏
CfP is open!
May 1 — CFP closes
May 15 — candidates notified
June 1 — speakers announced
June 15 — schedule announced
We want to hear from YOU!
Agree!
Early bird tickets are sold out...😱
Looking forward!
A photo of a type writer with the local first sigil in the paper, a notebook that says Lab Day, hosted by Ink & Switch, with an automerge sticker sheet. There is a clipboard saying Coffee Science and a coffee cup.
Lab Day will not be purely filled with talks - but also show live demos, creative experiments, and community projects.
A collaborative day that’s part unconference, part showcase, and shaped by the ideas that animate our community.
Lab Day is included in your ticket localfirstconf.com
