Ephemera has acquired Converse, and as of 9 a.m. EST, we open-sourced it for the entire XMTP network.

Converse is the simplest and fastest app built on XMTP. The Converse team has been building with XMTP since day one, and with the ability to reach over 2m+ identities on XMTP, we are excited to put more resources into building a better future together.

We need to make using crypto as easy as sending a message. We have already started implementing secure groups into Converse, and we have so much more work to do so that everyone has a secure messaging application native to crypto.

Everything starts with trust.

The world needs an open, secure, and decentralized communication platform. One that everyone can trust to build on and use.

That’s why we are open-sourcing the application layer, which is also built on the open & secure XMTP network.

Let’s talk about why we believe in open-sourcing everything. Converse and XMTP.

We are building the most open and secure developer platform in the world—one that all developers can trust to build on, unlike the centralized platforms of the past, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, Zynga, etc.

I spent the past 15 years of my career building on top of the Big Tech platforms. This actually means I spent the last 15 years of my career getting the rules changed, promises broken, and ultimately getting my businesses killed or forced to sell because I built on top of these centralized platforms.

To protect global communication, we must create a more open and secure communication layer for the internet. We cannot risk building on top of platforms owned by a single company or, in some cases, a single person.

We deserve a messaging network that is more aligned with the entire crypto community and our core values of openness, security, and decentralization.

This isn’t a move about acquiring Converse; it’s about building trust with the best developers in the world and aligning XMTP with the values of the entire crypto community.

The move makes the application layer as open as the protocol layer. The truth is that developers don’t just build on protocols; they build on apps, too. Building on closed-source apps is like playing a game without knowing the rules. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Here’s our not-so-secret plan for the next decade, which has been the same since day one:

1. Build the most open, secure, and decentralized messaging protocol in the world that can last forever (v3 upgrade to XMTP brought world-class privacy and security to our protocol)

2. Build amazing and secure messaging applications that are native to crypto - Converse will push the limits to show what’s possible and be open so all developers can benefit from it

3. Open source everything to create the most trusted developer ecosystem in the world

Join us, and let’s build:

1. We are working hard on an #AllNewConverse and we will be letting people in on an invite-only basis starting today! This will include secure group messaging and onchain native functionality. If you want to try it, shoot me a DM on XMTP @ shanemac.converse.xyz

2. Collect this post to jump ahead in the invite line

3. To build with us, check out the Converse or XMTP open-sourced repos below:

   1. https://github.com/ephemeraHQ/converse-app

   2. https://github.com/xmtp