We made a mistake with our API Challenge, and we’re sorry | Figma Blog

Figma apologized for launching an API challenge that the design community viewed as unpaid “spec work.” The challenge aimed to encourage a Figma-to-Sketch export and support a more open design ecosystem, but Figma acknowledged that its enthusiasm overshadowed the risk of exploiting creative labor. The company paused the challenge and later decided not to pursue any version of it.

The API Challenge and Its Goal

• Figma launched a challenge focused on building a Figma-to-Sketch export.
• Its stated purpose was to promote an open ecosystem and help fund tools for exporting data from Figma.
• The initiative was intended to expand interoperability within the design toolchain.

Community Criticism

• Designers quickly criticized the challenge as “spec work”—unpaid creative work submitted with no guaranteed compensation.
• The backlash reflected broader concerns about skilled workers being asked to produce valuable work without fair payment.
• Figma recognized that the challenge conflicted with its stated belief that creatives should be paid.

Figma’s Response

• CEO Dylan Field acknowledged that the company had made a mistake.
• Figma said it had been “swept away” by its enthusiasm for making the platform more open.
• The company paused the challenge and considered alternative structures that would not require participants to work without guaranteed compensation.
• In a later update dated November 19, 2018, Figma said it would not move forward with any version of the challenge at that time.

Figma’s experience illustrates the importance of designing developer and creative programs around clear compensation and consent, especially when participants’ work could directly benefit a commercial product.