Excited to share that Neynar has acquired Farcaster from Merkle. This means we will now maintain the Farcaster protocol, run the Farcaster clients and operate Clanker. As part of this change - Jack and part of the Clanker team will be joining Neynar.

Neynar is the software platform for the Farcaster ecosystem. A significant portion of Farcaster products run on our infrastructure. We’ve been focused on this community throughout Neynar’s lifetime and this is the next step in that journey.

Over the last 5+ years, Merkle has done incredible work. We are excited to take up the mantle from here.

We are sharing some high level thoughts below on our vision, what comes next, and specific information about the product. We are very grateful to everyone who has made this community what it is today and are energized about what we can build together moving forward.

FAQs

1. What is the vision?

Enable builders to go from idea to recurring revenue, supported by a builder-first network.

Farcaster, at its core, is a community of builders deliberately cultivated over many years - the “scenius”. This community has consistently driven the network’s most meaningful moments - Frames, Degen, Warplets and more. The value of Farcaster is not just the products, but the people who experiment, share knowledge, and build in public. New ideas tend to gain their first traction here because they are shaped directly by feedback from builders who actively use and extend them. As building software becomes more accessible, we are going to merge

1. software generation

2. crypto native rails

3. builder focused ecosystem

Products built on Farcaster will be usable anywhere. With crypto rails, they'll incorporate global transactions, asset issuance, and onchain ecosystems from day one. Builders will distribute their products to a network that thrives on experimenting with new technology. The network will remain open so builders will own their distribution.

We are entering a period where building software is becoming dramatically more accessible. Farcaster is well positioned for this shift. It offers a place where people can explore ideas, build products, get early feedback, and launch into the world from a single environment.

Our goal is to make this entire process easier by providing an experience that helps builders move from initial idea all the way to recurring revenue.

2. Why is Neynar acquiring Farcaster specifically?

Neynar’s core mission is to make building software simpler. Extending that to a network that values building new things is a natural extension. Since our inception, we have been a “Farcaster company” - so much so that many users mistake Farcaster and Neynar to be one company. Well, now they are the one company. We’re excited for this next chapter and we hope you are too!

3. Are there any immediate product changes to Farcaster, Neynar or Clanker?

No. If you have been reading rumors on your timeline about Farcaster client, protocol or Clanker shutting down, those are false. W.r.t. product iterations, we want to get feedback from all of you as we start on that journey. Neynar developer platform will also continue to exist. Building on Farcaster will only get easier from here.

4. Is the vision only about about building software?

No. Farcaster thrives on builders of all kinds - software, art, music, literature. Software is the glue that ties things together - musicians use hosting platforms, writers use publishing tools, etc. If you’re passionate about making something new - Farcaster will support you.

5. What about the trader first approach?

Traders can continue to trade, no changes to the wallet. No changes to the low fee for pro subscription holders it’ll still support best prices. All swap capabilities will continue to be supported. We think financial rails are important for builders regardless of trading.

6. What is next on the product roadmap?

We are going to start with a prioritization exercise that helps us achieve the vision above. We have a small team so we will walk before we run as we go through this process.

If you have more questions, feel free to drop them below. I will also do dedicated AMA threads over the next few days.