Who Developed and Maintains libvpx-vp9?

This article provides a concise overview of the history, original development, and current maintenance of the libvpx-vp9 video codec library. Readers will learn about the transition of this technology from its initial creators to Google, and how it is managed today as part of the WebM Project.

The original development of the technology behind libvpx begins with On2 Technologies, a company that created the VP8 video compression format. In February 2010, Google acquired On2 Technologies. Following the acquisition, Google released the VP8 video codec source code to the public under a royalty-free license, which led to the creation of the “libvpx” software library. Google then developed VP9 as the successor to VP8 to provide better compression efficiency for high-definition and 4K video streaming, integrating it into the same library.

Today, libvpx-vp9 is officially maintained by Google as part of the WebM Project. While the library is open-source and accepts contributions from a global community of independent developers, browser vendors, and hardware manufacturers, Google remains the primary driving force behind its updates, optimizations, and ongoing codebase maintenance.