WordPress Community Drama: Automattic Adjusts Core Contribution Amidst Ongoing Tensions
The new year rings in with ongoing drama within the WordPress community. Automattic, the force behind WordPress.com, recently announced a reduction in its contribution to WordPress core. This open-source project is crucial to Automattic’s products and the broader WordPress ecosystem. This shift in strategy follows a long-standing dispute between Automattic CEO and WordPress co-creator, Matt Mullenweg, and WP Engine over contributions to the WordPress project.
In a recent blog post, Automattic revealed plans to align its volunteer hours under the Five For the Future program with that of WP Engine and other ecosystem players. The company commits to around 45 hours weekly, focusing on essential security and updates. Previously, Automattic dedicated approximately 2,560 hours weekly—already a significant drop from the 3,900 hours reported in September.
“WP Engine’s historically slim contributions underscore the imbalance that must be addressed for the health of WordPress,” Automattic stated. “We believe in fairness and shared responsibility, and we hope this move encourages greater participation across all organizations that benefit from WordPress.”
{Automattic Blog Post}
- Automattic is reallocating resources towards its legal battle with WP Engine.
- Matt Mullenweg has openly criticized WP Engine’s lack of contribution, even labeling them “cancer to WordPress” due to their private equity ties.
- BlackRock recently decreased its investment valuation in Automattic by more than 50%, adding financial pressure on the company.
Notably, Thijs Buijs, a core contributor who led the sustainability team focused on WordPress’s longevity, stepped down over disagreements with Mullenweg’s direction for the platform. In response, Mullenweg disbanded the sustainability Slack channel he had initiated in 2022. This move has sparked debate over leadership within the WordPress community.
In light of these events, Joost de Valk, creator of Yoast SEO tool, proposed a “federated” model for WordPress repository access—an idea aiming for decentralized management of plugins and themes.
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