I am sure I am not the only one who recognizes the name Vince Bertram of Project Lead the Way. I think long term you will see an improvement, especially if you are working for a school that uses PLTW. Vertical integration is coming, Start locking in those flower and leaf positions and put on your rubber overboots because it is going to get deep. Seymore need much fertilizer.
Weird situation where both do. The GDC is a joint venture by Vex and the RECF.
Itâs not fair to call it a turf war. More like a slaughter. RECF is no more. Event partners are on their own and are going to have to make their own way. I expect a lot will depend on where you are and what you can do for the VEX brand. If I was an EP, I would be reaching out to my neighbors and seeing how you all can speak as one.
Question: Will there still be competitions?
Is VEX and RECF each run their own competition?
Recf owned the robot events domain, so it now redirects to a new site. It used to redirect to Vex IFI servers, which ran the robot events website. You can tell because Vex has already created an exact copy of robot events, including all data and login credentials, events.vex.com. They simply replaced the Recf logo with some Microsoft Word default font in the Recf colours.
You can log in with your robot events login, and all the usual info and team management stuff is there.
Also, look at the page enders. I would like people to guess which one is events.vex.com and which one is robotevents.com on the Wayback Machine:
From my understanding, events.vex.com is the new home of events, and since Vex is the one that puts on Worlds, if you want to go to Worlds, you have to use that link instead of robotevents. I may have something wrong, however.
guys I am confused is RECF making their own program
This is an interesting situation. Iâm especially interested to see if the recf vex competition actually ends up happening. I think a competition with fewer engineering restrictions could be quite fun, and it seems like others agree from these polls on discord. (Rex stands for recf vex, if that was unclear)
This is gonna be interesting. I think there needs to be a real public process on how this goes down going forward. Having two competitions makes no sense, the RECF is probably gonna get sued by vex imo, and a lot is actually going to change. Weâll see how this plays out but I think this is something the community needs to be involved in heavily as this will greatly decide the future of vex robotics as a whole.
Just trying to stay neutral here. And since most of us here were not in the room when the split happened, i wouldnât want to speculate what actually transpired and was it a slaughter (or not).
And even if it is really a slaughter, is it for the better or worse? Its ok. I shall stop myself from speculating in vacuum.
While I do run small events (nowadays only left with Blankâs Beginning)⊠I am still coming from the POV of a regular mentor that manages a robotics club in a school.
So in that sense, I found it awkward that I should be thinking along this line ofâŠ
I am not employed by VEX to think about this.
I am here to run programmes for students. I look out for programmes that will benefit my students.
So maybe the ball should be in the courts of VEX (and RECF) - to convince the mentors and schools which competitions/programmes (thatâs if RECF is setting up their own competitions) will benefit the students most.
It doesnât seem like there was a clear delineation between VEX (a for-profit entity) and RECF (a non-profit entity). The fact that control over robotevents.com is going back and forth between the two entities seems to be evidence of that. Thatâs quite concerning to me in regards to the integrity (and possibly legality) of the non-profit entity.
I hope whatever new structure ends up forming after this brouhaha ends, does a better job at maintaining the separation.
No, VEX broke off from REC, and the new website replacing robot events is events.vex.com
Now you can visit the https://events.vex.com/ but it was remove all flags that contain RECF
I think that the biggest question that schools will be facing is with the specific rules. Many schools have invested heavily in Vex and the infrastructure for Vex events. Many have already committed and purchased fields and parts for 26-27.
The RECF seems that it wants a more open competition (3-D printing) which may exclude many teams and schools that do not have access to high quality additive manufacturing (due to cost, space, program, etc). Further if Vex locks down on their IP, it may potentially mean a large investment in a totally new system of parts and robots.
While I am relatively new to the competition side, I have been using vex systems for the better part of 15 years. From my limited experience, based on the two statements shared so far, it seems that the fight is over control of IP and restricting designs to that IP. Many schools that cannot afford FIRST may not be able to afford the new systems, new 3D printers. This will be a tough choice for many team in the US. I am not sure how much of this will impact the World teams.
I have already talked to multiple coaches/event partners in our region. The general thought right now is âbe patientâ.
Teams should focus on building their bots (plus having fun - this is all supposed to be fun), not on the national organization drama.
Unless we hear something differently (and I havenât seen anything to suggest otherwise), schools shouldnât have to pivot on getting funding for a different set of rules. For most teams - the '26-'27 season shouldnât (hopefully) look too much different from the '25-'26 season.
It stinks to be dealing with this right at the end of the school year, but there are lots of great event partners and coaches (as well as VEX student alumni) who can help districts understands stuff as it comes out.
3D printers arenât really that expensive. I own an Elegoo Centauri Carbon that I bought for around $300. Sure, itâs expensive, but VEX is expensive. A solid 3D printer costs less than 6 motors and 6 blue cartridges, 3D printers being too expensive for vex is a myth.
VEX Robotics Lawsuit Against REC Foundation
In April 2026, VEX Robotics, Inc. sued the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation (REC Foundation), claiming the nonprofit owed it $10,334,028.45 in unpaid debts Wikipedia. The lawsuit is widely seen as a key factor in the subsequent split between the two organizations.
Background
The REC Foundation was originally part of VEX Roboticsâ education division, created in 2011 to manage the VEX Robotics Competition and host events worldwide Wikipedia. For years, it operated VEX events in partnership with VEX Robotics, including the World Championships. While legally separate, the two organizations had a close working relationship.
The Lawsuit
VEX Robotics alleged that REC Foundation had failed to pay outstanding obligations, leading to the legal action Wikipedia. The exact nature of the debts (e.g., event fees, licensing, or other operational costs) was not detailed in public summaries, but the figure is substantial and suggests years of unpaid obligations.
Aftermath
The lawsuit coincided with and likely accelerated the end of the REC Foundationâs role in VEX events. On May 10, 2026, VEX Robotics announced it was ending its relationship with REC Foundation and transitioning event operations to Global Robotics, a new nonprofit under VEXâs leadership VEX Forum**+1**. VEX emphasized that all current events would continue as normal, but REC Foundation was no longer authorized to organize, administer, or represent VEX competitions VEX Forum.
Implications
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Operational shift: Event Partners will now work with VEX Robotics or Global Robotics, not REC Foundation.
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Financial impact: The lawsuit may have forced VEX to restructure its event operations and potentially renegotiate terms with partners.
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Strategic change: The move signals a consolidation of control over VEX events under VEXâs direct oversight, reducing reliance on third-party nonprofits.
In short, the VEX Robotics vs. REC Foundation lawsuit appears to have been a catalyst for the REC Foundationâs exit from VEX event operations, with VEX taking full control through its new Global Robotics entity Wikipedia**+2**.
This is what came up when I searched âvex recf lawsuitâ
I think the RECF statement that allowing 3D printed parts in their version is an addition to using parts you can buy as well, thatâs how I read that, but we donât know yet. So everyone can continue using their investment in pieces purchased. So schools that have 3D printers already, they can use that to supplement the same pieces you can buy if you donât have a 3D printer. I have no intention of getting a 3D printer for this because of the amount of parts collected, but also think itâs a great option if people want it. Heck, if they allow 3D printed parts, there will likely be a secondary market for these pop up now to buy from other people if so. Thatâs why VEX will never allow it, as it would cut off some sales.
I think the bulleted lists in their initial emails were the start of that. Hearts and minds come to mind.