The Linux Foundation has officially announced the formation of the React Foundation during its Member Summit in Napa, California, marking a significant transition for the popular open-source project.
The React Foundation launches with eight Platinum founding members: Amazon, Callstack, Expo, Huawei, Meta, Microsoft, Software Mansion, and Vercel. Seth Webster, the former head of React at Meta, has been appointed as the foundation’s executive director. “React has become critical digital infrastructure for the modern web and beyond,” Webster said. “By establishing the React Foundation under the Linux Foundation, we are ensuring a strong, vibrant React for decades to come — guided by open governance and shared stewardship from the global community that builds with it every day.”
The formation process began at React Conf in October 2025, when Meta first announced its intent to create the React Foundation and move the project to neutral ground. At that time, seven corporate members were named. Huawei subsequently joined as the eighth Platinum member, a detail confirmed in the React team’s blog post announcing the launch. According to the Linux Foundation, React powers nearly 55 million websites and is used by roughly 20 million developers worldwide. The React team noted in October that the project’s scope had long outgrown the confines of a single corporate steward, stating, “What started out as a tool developed for Meta has expanded into a project that spans multiple companies with regular contributions from across the ecosystem.”
The React Foundation board of directors will include representatives from each Platinum member, with Webster serving as executive director. A critical component of the governance structure is that the project’s technical direction will remain independent from the foundation’s board. To facilitate this, a provisional leadership council has been formed to determine the long-term technical governance structure, with details expected in the coming months.
Significant work remains to finalize the transition. This includes transferring repositories, websites, and infrastructure to the foundation; exploring programs to support the broader React ecosystem; and planning the next React Conf.
Member companies provided statements highlighting the project’s importance to their operations. “React is a core part of our front-end architecture across Azure, powering the Azure Portal,” said Ruhiyyih Mahalati, vice president of Azure Experiences and Ecosystem at Microsoft. Tapas Roy, vice president of software and services at Amazon Devices, stated that Amazon is “committed to working alongside our industry partners to ensure React and React Native remain open, community-driven, and positioned for long-term success”.
The move places React alongside other major open-source projects, including Linux, Kubernetes, and PyTorch, that operate under the Linux Foundation’s umbrella.
