Despite concerns expressed by Dylan Field, co-founder of Figma, regarding the Model Context Protocol (MCP), the company is moving forward with expanded support for this open-source standard.
During its inaugural Config conference in India, Figma unveiled a partnership with 20 new organizations endorsing MCP. These partners include notable names such as Amp, ClickUp, Dia, Junie by JetBrains, Linear, Meta Muse, Mistral, Notion, OpenCode, and Sarvam Agents.
Field’s apprehensions about MCP surfaced shortly before the conference, spurred by comments from one of MCP’s co-creators who criticized Figma for not supporting the open-source tool Pi. In a social media exchange, Field highlighted that Anthropic, the creators of MCP, have not made various resources available via the protocol.
“I find it interesting that Anthropic do not expose artifacts or other cloud resources created via MCP,” he stated on X. “The debate is framed as open vs closed. Everyone always prefers open… obviously. And meanwhile, issues of asymmetric context sharing are ignored.”
(Field later clarified that Figma does plan to support Pi.)
In a media briefing, Field elaborated on this ongoing debate, asserting that while Figma is committed to preserving an open ecosystem, he views MCP as imperfect.
“I’m really excited about our initiatives to open up our ecosystem. However, I believe MCP is far from perfect and holds significant room for improvement,” he stated. “It favors institutions with more robust resources. I understand that many online users seek a protocol they can access to utilize their Figma data, and I support that desire.”
Field noted that the company’s reluctance to fully embrace MCP stems from concerns over potential misuse of the data they would expose. He emphasized that while most users do not intend to engage in malicious activities, the company must remain vigilant about the risks involved.
Editor’s Take
This development highlights the balancing act between openness and security in technology. While increased partnerships signal a commitment to expand user capabilities, Field’s reservations underscore the complexities inherent in sharing data responsibly. As MCP evolves, businesses and developers must navigate these challenges carefully to safeguard user interests while fostering innovation.
Source: techcrunch.com
