2026-07-09 –, P2P Portal
Matrix is a relatively popular open standard for secure decentralised communication. Recently the team who created Matrix got funded to have another go at taking Matrix local-first and P2P, giving a new path towards mainstream Matrix adoption. We'd like to show off what we did, and how far we've got!
Matrix today is relatively popular with open source folks, decentralisation enthusiasts and... governments as a way of running digitally sovereign communication services. But it's yet to displace WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram, Discord etc for mainstream usage. In this talk, we'll give a quick overview of Matrix's journey since its inception in 2014; which bits have worked, which bits haven't, and the challenges which remain. We'll give a quick overview of the previous (2020-2023) era of P2P work on Matrix, and now introduce the breakthroughs in 2026 (e.g. ERA: https://arxiv.org/html/2601.22963v2) which have allowed us to re-enter the fray and extend Matrix to work in a local-first world. We'll also touch on the decentralised identity/reputation & trust/safety challenges which continue to form a glass ceiling for any decentralisation projects - but particularly Matrix.
Project Lead & co-founder of Matrix.org, CEO/CTO Element. Stubbornly trying to advance decentralised communication.