Public dossier section · @ben
sources
This is @ben's profile revision 1. The original date and editorial confidence below are attributed to its publisher, not independent verification.
Original credited author: Hraness
AI-drafted at Ben Guo's direct request and credited to Hraness; every claim links to its cataloged source.
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Published text
- automerge 3 — lobsters (2025-07-15, community). automerge 3.0: 51 upvotes
- onward! 19 paper pdf — inkandswitch.com (2019-10, primary). onward! '19 paper pdf; seven ideals; automerge+dat/hypermerge stack; open problems
- james arthurs lofi origin: localfirstweb — lofi.so (2023-05-29, community). james arthur's lofi origin: localfirstweb.dev → discord by yonz; first meetup 2023-02-28; ~700 members
- lofi/40 meetup 2026-08-25 — lofi.so (2026-08, community). lofi/40 meetup 2026-08-25; community still active; lfc links
- lwn on earthstar (founded 2020 by sam gwilym) and sync-protocol shift — lwn.net (2025-03-05, reporting). lwn on earthstar (founded 2020 by sam gwilym) and sync-protocol shift
- i&s 2025 essay — inkandswitch.com (2025-06, primary). i&s 2025 essay; litt/horowitz/van hardenberg/matthews framework
- why local-first apps havent become popular (surfaced via tldr 2025-09-23) — marco bambini (2025-09, community). "why local-first apps haven't become popular" (surfaced via tldr 2025-09-23)
- haverbeke: central server saves oh so much complexity — cited in hn debates — marijnhaverbeke.nl (2015-07-28, community). haverbeke: central server saves "oh so much complexity" — cited in hn debates
- schiefer/litt/jackson, papoc22 — internal critique of forced convergence — groups.csail.mit.edu (2022-04-05, primary). schiefer/litt/jackson, papoc'22 — internal critique of forced convergence
- industrial research with peter van hardenberg — museapp.com (2021, interview). "industrial research with peter van hardenberg"; bell labs/parc inspiration; spinout flywheel
- adrian colyers positive technical review — blog.acolyer.org (2019-11-20, reporting). adrian colyer's positive technical review; prototype findings
- thenokiablog.com — thenokiablog.com (2026, community). earned-skeptic practitioner take: "i spent the first year dismissing local-first as academic"
- npm last-month downloads: @automerge/automerge 189,051 — npm (2026-09-11, repo). npm last-month downloads: @automerge/automerge 189,051; legacy automerge 25,083
- offline camp doc: term first coined by alex feyerke and the hoodie team in 2013 — medium (2016, community). offline camp doc: term "first coined by alex feyerke and the hoodie team in 2013"
- competitors contemporaneous analysis of the electric pivot — powersync.com (2024-07, reporting). competitor's contemporaneous analysis of the electric pivot
- wiggins on industrial research history (edison, bell labs, arpa, parc) — progressstudies.school (2022, interview). wiggins on industrial research history (edison, bell labs, arpa, parc)
- archived for posterity — github (2020, repo). archived "for posterity"; moved to automerge/pushpin community
- pvh bio: heroku data products, i&s researcher — pvh.ca (2026, primary). pvh bio: heroku data products, i&s researcher
- riffle project page — riffle.systems (2023-10, primary). riffle project page; uist'23 paper; mit csail group incl. litt & schickling
- riffle: reactive relational state for local-first applications, uist23 — groups.csail.mit.edu (2023-10-29, primary). "riffle: reactive relational state for local-first applications," uist'23
- semantic scholar record — semanticscholar.org (2026-09-16, reference). semantic scholar record; 137 citations at access date
- onward! talk slot, athens, templars room — 2019.splashcon.org (2019-10-23, reference). onward! talk slot, athens, templars room
- why bidirectional crdts died — category convergence analysis (reported) — blogs.abhipanseriya.dev (2026, reporting). "why bidirectional crdts died" — category convergence analysis (reported)
- prokopov local, first, forever: file-sync-based diy local-first — tonsky.me (2024-06-24, community). prokopov "local, first, forever": file-sync-based diy local-first
- weidners crdt benchmark series sparking the nov 2023 debate — mattweidner.com (2023-09-26, community). weidner's crdt benchmark series sparking the nov 2023 debate
- weidner: collaborative text without crdt machinery — mattweidner.com (2025-05-21, community). weidner: collaborative text without crdt machinery
- klint finley profile — wired (2019-12-06, reporting). klint finley profile; "cardboard box" quote; zaharia skepticism; crdt history note
- crdt community session notes listing structural complaints (undated — worm-blossom.org (2024, community). crdt community session notes listing structural complaints (undated; reported)
- zero sync engine positioning and docs — zero.rocicorp.dev (2026, primary). zero sync engine positioning and docs
- wiggins site/bio — adamwiggins.com (2026, primary). wiggins' site/bio
- muse history: $2m, seven-person team, fall-2023 departure — adamwiggins.com (2024, primary). muse history: $2m, seven-person team, fall-2023 departure
- aria safeguarded ai programme page — aria.org.uk (2025, reference). aria safeguarded ai programme page
- project site — automerge.org (2026, primary). project site; "independent open source project" framing; monthly update series
- relationship-based digital identity — inkandswitch.com (2021-09, primary). relationship-based digital identity
- bidirectional lenses for schema change — inkandswitch.com (2020-10, primary). bidirectional lenses for schema change
- tablet-for-thinking project — inkandswitch.com (2018-12, primary). tablet-for-thinking project
- founded 2015 — cb insights (2026, reference). founded 2015; london hq; blueyard capital listed investor (unverified)
- adam wiggins on the 2015 reconvening + industrial-lab inspirations — github (2022, interview). adam wiggins on the 2015 reconvening + industrial-lab inspirations
- paul shen → openai technical staff 2023-04 — clay.earth (2026, reference). paul shen → openai technical staff 2023-04; cmu
- research areas — inkandswitch.com (2026, primary). research areas; contact/partnership channels
- bluesky profile aggregator incl — couchsky.app (2026, community). bluesky profile aggregator incl. wiggins bio "cofounder of ink & switch, heroku, and local-first conf"
- drawing dynamic models — inkandswitch.com (2022-03, primary). drawing dynamic models
- about a dozen researchers — inkandswitch.com (2023-11, primary). "about a dozen researchers"; three tracks; embark + lude
- lisbon unconf w/ fission + dxos — inkandswitch.com (2023-12, primary). lisbon unconf w/ fission + dxos; constraint system; automerge roundups
- patchwork launch — inkandswitch.com (2024-02, primary). patchwork launch; obenauer ollos; lu wilson joins; local-first conf 2024
- directors year-end letter — inkandswitch.com (2024-12, primary). director's year-end letter; la unconf; droste's lair; backstitch preview
- automerge 3 — inkandswitch.com (2025-05, primary). automerge 3.0 beta; sketchy calendar; site rebuild + funding page
- aria sgai joined — inkandswitch.com (2025-09, primary). aria sgai joined; mumm rejoined; chee joined; community calls
- gaios intro — inkandswitch.com (2025-11, primary). gaios intro; grjte/sakrejda/o.reed; keyhive+subduction; live 2025; rirs
- tenfold — inkandswitch.com (2026-04, primary). tenfold; "turns ten this year"; lab day announce
- patchwork notes — inkandswitch.com (2026-05, primary). patchwork notes; wiggins residency/firehose; lfc 2026 dates
- new staff (reyburn/yen/stewen) — inkandswitch.com (2026-06, primary). new staff (reyburn/yen/stewen); backstitch=beckett; livelymerge; bijou64
- dynamic documents for travel planning — inkandswitch.com (2023-11, primary). dynamic documents for travel planning
- end-user programming essay — inkandswitch.com (2019-03, primary). end-user programming essay
- endless access on the backstitch partnership — access.endlessstudios.com (2026, reporting). endless access on the backstitch partnership; pvh quotes
- unconference history 2022–2024 — inkandswitch.com (2026, primary). unconference history 2022–2024
- litt bio: notion — geoffreylitt.com (2026, primary). litt bio: notion; ex-i&s senior researcher; mit phd
- automerge repo (created 2017-06-29) — github (2026, repo). automerge repo (created 2017-06-29)
- directory-based automerge replication node cli — github (2026, repo). "directory-based automerge replication node" cli
- brooklyn zelenka profile: ucan, witchcraft, e2ee local-first — github (2026, community). brooklyn zelenka profile: ucan, witchcraft, e2ee local-first
- farm repo (p2p shared-environment experiment) — github (2020, repo). farm repo (p2p shared-environment experiment)
- inkling source (linked from project page) — github (2024, repo). inkling source (linked from project page)
- lab github org (created 2015-08-19) — github (2026, repo). lab github org (created 2015-08-19)
- github — github (2026, repo). early fork preserving "copyright 2017, ink & switch llc, and university of cambridge" + creator credits
- subduction sync engine — github (2026, repo). subduction sync engine
- earliest full homepage capture — wayback machine (2018-03-30, archive). earliest full homepage capture; "privately-funded industrial research lab"; earliest site capture noted 2017-05-27
- zelenka bio: fission cto — icfp24.sigplan.org (2024, reference). zelenka bio: fission cto; ucan; wnfs; rhizome
- transcript of idea machines #50 — podtail.se (2024-02-10, interview). transcript of idea machines #50; founding trio; hollywood model; lab evolution
- litt on patchwork + i&s after leaving — ideas.imbue.com (2025, interview). litt on patchwork + i&s after leaving
- rss feed — inkandswitch.com (2026-09, primary). rss feed; publication dates for all essays, notes, dispatches
- programmable ink essay — inkandswitch.com (2022-11, primary). programmable ink essay
- project 029 — inkandswitch.com (2023, primary). project 029; collaborators; live 2024
- project 035 — inkandswitch.com (2026, primary). project 035; convergent capabilities; beekem; beelay
- kleppmann & beresford json crdt paper (ieee tpds) — martin.kleppmann.com (2017-04, primary). kleppmann & beresford json crdt paper (ieee tpds)
- founded 2015 — linkedin (2026, reference). founded 2015; ~13 employees; us hq/miami
- researcher 2021-10→present — linkedin (2026, reference). researcher 2021-10→present
- senior researcher 2023-01→2025-09 — linkedin (2026, reference). senior researcher 2023-01→2025-09; led malleable track
- pi 2018-02→2019-06 — linkedin (2026, reference). pi 2018-02→2019-06; stainless 2024→
- rir ~2023-07→2024-02 — linkedin (2026, reference). rir ~2023-07→2024-02
- freelance engineer — linkedin (2026, reference). freelance engineer; potluck team member
Original source occurrences
- automerge 3 · lobsters · 2025-07-15 (day) · original ID: src-ci-lobsters-automerge3
automerge 3.0: 51 upvotes
- onward! 19 paper pdf · inkandswitch.com · 2019-10 (month) · original ID: src-ci-local-first-pdf
onward! '19 paper pdf; seven ideals; automerge+dat/hypermerge stack; open problems
- james arthurs lofi origin: localfirstweb · lofi.so · 2023-05-29 (day) · original ID: src-ci-lofi-history
james arthur's lofi origin: localfirstweb.dev → discord by yonz; first meetup 2023-02-28; ~700 members
- lofi/40 meetup 2026-08-25 · lofi.so · 2026-08 (month) · original ID: src-ci-lofi-home
lofi/40 meetup 2026-08-25; community still active; lfc links
- lwn on earthstar (founded 2020 by sam gwilym) and sync-protocol shift · lwn.net · 2025-03-05 (day) · original ID: src-ci-lwn-earthstar
lwn on earthstar (founded 2020 by sam gwilym) and sync-protocol shift
- i&s 2025 essay · inkandswitch.com · 2025-06 (month) · original ID: src-ci-malleable-essay
i&s 2025 essay; litt/horowitz/van hardenberg/matthews framework
- why local-first apps havent become popular (surfaced via tldr 2025-09-23) · marco bambini · 2025-09 (month) · original ID: src-ci-marcobambini
"why local-first apps haven't become popular" (surfaced via tldr 2025-09-23)
- haverbeke: central server saves oh so much complexity — cited in hn debates · marijnhaverbeke.nl · 2015-07-28 (day) · original ID: src-ci-marijn
haverbeke: central server saves "oh so much complexity" — cited in hn debates
- schiefer/litt/jackson, papoc22 — internal critique of forced convergence · groups.csail.mit.edu · 2022-04-05 (day) · original ID: src-ci-merge-fork
schiefer/litt/jackson, papoc'22 — internal critique of forced convergence
- industrial research with peter van hardenberg · museapp.com · 2021 (year) · original ID: src-ci-metamuse-46
"industrial research with peter van hardenberg"; bell labs/parc inspiration; spinout flywheel
- adrian colyers positive technical review · blog.acolyer.org · 2019-11-20 (day) · original ID: src-ci-morning-paper
adrian colyer's positive technical review; prototype findings
- thenokiablog.com · thenokiablog.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-nokiablog
earned-skeptic practitioner take: "i spent the first year dismissing local-first as academic"
- npm last-month downloads: @automerge/automerge 189,051 · npm · 2026-09-11 (day) · original ID: src-ci-npm-automerge
npm last-month downloads: @automerge/automerge 189,051; legacy automerge 25,083
- offline camp doc: term first coined by alex feyerke and the hoodie team in 2013 · medium · 2016 (year) · original ID: src-ci-offline-camp
offline camp doc: term "first coined by alex feyerke and the hoodie team in 2013"
- competitors contemporaneous analysis of the electric pivot · powersync.com · 2024-07 (month) · original ID: src-ci-powersync
competitor's contemporaneous analysis of the electric pivot
- wiggins on industrial research history (edison, bell labs, arpa, parc) · progressstudies.school · 2022 (year) · original ID: src-ci-progress-studies
wiggins on industrial research history (edison, bell labs, arpa, parc)
- archived for posterity · github · 2020 (year) · original ID: src-ci-pushpin-repo
archived "for posterity"; moved to automerge/pushpin community
- pvh bio: heroku data products, i&s researcher · pvh.ca · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-pvh
pvh bio: heroku data products, i&s researcher
- riffle project page · riffle.systems · 2023-10 (month) · original ID: src-ci-riffle
riffle project page; uist'23 paper; mit csail group incl. litt & schickling
- riffle: reactive relational state for local-first applications, uist23 · groups.csail.mit.edu · 2023-10-29 (day) · original ID: src-ci-riffle-paper
"riffle: reactive relational state for local-first applications," uist'23
- semantic scholar record · semanticscholar.org · 2026-09-16 (day) · original ID: src-ci-semanticscholar
semantic scholar record; 137 citations at access date
- onward! talk slot, athens, templars room · 2019.splashcon.org · 2019-10-23 (day) · original ID: src-ci-splash-program
onward! talk slot, athens, templars room
- why bidirectional crdts died — category convergence analysis (reported) · blogs.abhipanseriya.dev · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-stack-dispatch
"why bidirectional crdts died" — category convergence analysis (reported)
- prokopov local, first, forever: file-sync-based diy local-first · tonsky.me · 2024-06-24 (day) · original ID: src-ci-tonsky
prokopov "local, first, forever": file-sync-based diy local-first
- weidners crdt benchmark series sparking the nov 2023 debate · mattweidner.com · 2023-09-26 (day) · original ID: src-ci-weidner-survey
weidner's crdt benchmark series sparking the nov 2023 debate
- weidner: collaborative text without crdt machinery · mattweidner.com · 2025-05-21 (day) · original ID: src-ci-weidner-text
weidner: collaborative text without crdt machinery
- klint finley profile · wired · 2019-12-06 (day) · original ID: src-ci-wired
klint finley profile; "cardboard box" quote; zaharia skepticism; crdt history note
- crdt community session notes listing structural complaints (undated · worm-blossom.org · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-ci-worm-blossom
crdt community session notes listing structural complaints (undated; reported)
- zero sync engine positioning and docs · zero.rocicorp.dev · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-ci-zero
zero sync engine positioning and docs
- wiggins site/bio · adamwiggins.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-adamwiggins-home
wiggins' site/bio
- muse history: $2m, seven-person team, fall-2023 departure · adamwiggins.com · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-hp-adamwiggins-muse-retro
muse history: $2m, seven-person team, fall-2023 departure
- aria safeguarded ai programme page · aria.org.uk · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-hp-aria-sgai
aria safeguarded ai programme page
- project site · automerge.org · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-automerge-site
project site; "independent open source project" framing; monthly update series
- relationship-based digital identity · inkandswitch.com · 2021-09 (month) · original ID: src-hp-backchannel-essay
relationship-based digital identity
- bidirectional lenses for schema change · inkandswitch.com · 2020-10 (month) · original ID: src-hp-cambria-essay
bidirectional lenses for schema change
- tablet-for-thinking project · inkandswitch.com · 2018-12 (month) · original ID: src-hp-capstone-essay
tablet-for-thinking project
- founded 2015 · cb insights · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-cbinsights
founded 2015; london hq; blueyard capital listed investor (unverified)
- adam wiggins on the 2015 reconvening + industrial-lab inspirations · github · 2022 (year) · original ID: src-hp-changelog-514
adam wiggins on the 2015 reconvening + industrial-lab inspirations
- paul shen → openai technical staff 2023-04 · clay.earth · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-clay-paulshen
paul shen → openai technical staff 2023-04; cmu
- research areas · inkandswitch.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-connect
research areas; contact/partnership channels
- bluesky profile aggregator incl · couchsky.app · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-couchsky-adamwiggins
bluesky profile aggregator incl. wiggins bio "cofounder of ink & switch, heroku, and local-first conf"
- drawing dynamic models · inkandswitch.com · 2022-03 (month) · original ID: src-hp-crosscut-essay
drawing dynamic models
- about a dozen researchers · inkandswitch.com · 2023-11 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-001
"about a dozen researchers"; three tracks; embark + lude
- lisbon unconf w/ fission + dxos · inkandswitch.com · 2023-12 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-002
lisbon unconf w/ fission + dxos; constraint system; automerge roundups
- patchwork launch · inkandswitch.com · 2024-02 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-003
patchwork launch; obenauer ollos; lu wilson joins; local-first conf 2024
- directors year-end letter · inkandswitch.com · 2024-12 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-008
director's year-end letter; la unconf; droste's lair; backstitch preview
- automerge 3 · inkandswitch.com · 2025-05 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-011
automerge 3.0 beta; sketchy calendar; site rebuild + funding page
- aria sgai joined · inkandswitch.com · 2025-09 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-013
aria sgai joined; mumm rejoined; chee joined; community calls
- gaios intro · inkandswitch.com · 2025-11 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-014
gaios intro; grjte/sakrejda/o.reed; keyhive+subduction; live 2025; rirs
- tenfold · inkandswitch.com · 2026-04 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-016
tenfold; "turns ten this year"; lab day announce
- patchwork notes · inkandswitch.com · 2026-05 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-017
patchwork notes; wiggins residency/firehose; lfc 2026 dates
- new staff (reyburn/yen/stewen) · inkandswitch.com · 2026-06 (month) · original ID: src-hp-dispatch-018
new staff (reyburn/yen/stewen); backstitch=beckett; livelymerge; bijou64
- dynamic documents for travel planning · inkandswitch.com · 2023-11 (month) · original ID: src-hp-embark-essay
dynamic documents for travel planning
- end-user programming essay · inkandswitch.com · 2019-03 (month) · original ID: src-hp-end-user-programming
end-user programming essay
- endless access on the backstitch partnership · access.endlessstudios.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-endless-backstitch
endless access on the backstitch partnership; pvh quotes
- unconference history 2022–2024 · inkandswitch.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-events
unconference history 2022–2024
- litt bio: notion · geoffreylitt.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-geoffrey-site
litt bio: notion; ex-i&s senior researcher; mit phd
- automerge repo (created 2017-06-29) · github · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-automerge
automerge repo (created 2017-06-29)
- directory-based automerge replication node cli · github · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-darn
"directory-based automerge replication node" cli
- brooklyn zelenka profile: ucan, witchcraft, e2ee local-first · github · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-expede
brooklyn zelenka profile: ucan, witchcraft, e2ee local-first
- farm repo (p2p shared-environment experiment) · github · 2020 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-farm
farm repo (p2p shared-environment experiment)
- inkling source (linked from project page) · github · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-inkling
inkling source (linked from project page)
- lab github org (created 2015-08-19) · github · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-org
lab github org (created 2015-08-19)
- github · github · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-pboyer-automerge
early fork preserving "copyright 2017, ink & switch llc, and university of cambridge" + creator credits
- subduction sync engine · github · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-github-subduction
subduction sync engine
- earliest full homepage capture · wayback machine · 2018-03-30 (day) · original ID: src-hp-homepage-2018-archive
earliest full homepage capture; "privately-funded industrial research lab"; earliest site capture noted 2017-05-27
- zelenka bio: fission cto · icfp24.sigplan.org · 2024 (year) · original ID: src-hp-icfp-zelenka
zelenka bio: fission cto; ucan; wnfs; rhizome
- transcript of idea machines #50 · podtail.se · 2024-02-10 (day) · original ID: src-hp-idea-machines-50
transcript of idea machines #50; founding trio; hollywood model; lab evolution
- litt on patchwork + i&s after leaving · ideas.imbue.com · 2025 (year) · original ID: src-hp-imbue-litt
litt on patchwork + i&s after leaving
- rss feed · inkandswitch.com · 2026-09 (month) · original ID: src-hp-index-xml
rss feed; publication dates for all essays, notes, dispatches
- programmable ink essay · inkandswitch.com · 2022-11 (month) · original ID: src-hp-inkbase-essay
programmable ink essay
- project 029 · inkandswitch.com · 2023 (year) · original ID: src-hp-inkling-project
project 029; collaborators; live 2024
- project 035 · inkandswitch.com · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-keyhive-project
project 035; convergent capabilities; beekem; beelay
- kleppmann & beresford json crdt paper (ieee tpds) · martin.kleppmann.com · 2017-04 (month) · original ID: src-hp-kleppmann-json-crdt
kleppmann & beresford json crdt paper (ieee tpds)
- founded 2015 · linkedin · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-linkedin-company
founded 2015; ~13 employees; us hq/miami
- researcher 2021-10→present · linkedin · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-linkedin-goethals
researcher 2021-10→present
- senior researcher 2023-01→2025-09 · linkedin · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-linkedin-litt
senior researcher 2023-01→2025-09; led malleable track
- pi 2018-02→2019-06 · linkedin · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-linkedin-mmcgrana
pi 2018-02→2019-06; stainless 2024→
- rir ~2023-07→2024-02 · linkedin · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-linkedin-mrc
rir ~2023-07→2024-02
- freelance engineer · linkedin · 2026 (year) · original ID: src-hp-linkedin-paulshen
freelance engineer; potluck team member