WordPress core development is under strain as committers work to keep projects moving despite stalled Block Editor projects, a lack of short-term direction, and an increased workload on veteran contributors amid a further reduction in pledged hours from Automattic, the project’s largest contributor.
At an informal meeting during WordCamp Asia last month, committers discussed how to sustain core development over the next 3-6 months “given recent changes to contributor availability,” according to meeting notes published on the Make WordPress Core blog last week.
Committers raised concerns about the lack of short-term planning and key Block Editor projects without clear ownership or experienced contributors to move them forward. They also noted confusion around how core committers should make decisions with “fewer visionary/product-focused contributor hours available.” The discussion also highlighted a bottleneck in mentorship and code review, with experienced committers balancing both responsibilities and the potential for burnout.
Jonathan Desrosiers, a Bluehost-sponsored core committer who published the meeting notes, said the “frank but constructive” discussion at WordCamp Asia was part of an ongoing effort to bring committers together at flagship events and ensure transparency within the WordPress project. He said key takeaways from the meeting included monitoring areas where progress was slowing or where ownership was lacking, lowering barriers to entry for new contributors, and creating a more narrowly focused short-term roadmap.
“While these points are especially relevant given recent changes, they have always been fundamental to sustaining WordPress’s momentum—regardless of changes to available contributor resources,” Desrosiers told The Repository.
“New contributors are already stepping up in various ways to ensure development continues. Several organizations remain invested in their level of contribution to WordPress, and individual contributors — many of whom contribute in their free time — continue to, thankfully, show incredible dedication to the project.”
Automattic’s Five for the Future pledge shrinks — again
The meeting notes don’t name names—the committers followed the Chatham House Rule—but the “recent changes to contributor availability” coincide with Automattic slashing its pledged Five for the Future hours from nearly 4,000 per week to just 45, matching WP Engine’s commitment.
Last week, Automattic cut them again—to just 19 hours per week. The reduction followed WP Engine’s move to lower its own pledge from 45 to 20 hours, prompting WordPress.org’s X account to post that Automattic “will have to reduce by 53%” to match.
It’s understood the “visionary/product-focused contributors” referenced in the core committer meeting notes refer specifically to Riad Benguella (lead developer of the Gutenberg project), Matías Ventura (lead architect of Gutenberg), Rich Tabor (product manager/designer), and Anne McCarthy (product wrangler). All four have updated their WordPress.org profiles to show they are contributing zero hours to the project.
Automattic’s 19 pledged hours are now spread across 10 contributors, prioritizing the Community, Core, Meta, and Marketing teams:
- Mary Hubbard, Executive Director of WordPress – 5 hours to the Community, Core, Support, and Test teams
- Rocio Valdivia – 2 hours to the Community team
- Isotta Peira – 1 hour to the Community team
- Devin Maeztri – 1 hour to the Community team
- Hari Shanker – 1 hour to the Community team
- Greg Ziółkowski – 2 hours to the Core team
- Paul Kevan – 1 hour to the Core and Meta teams
- Dion Hulse – 1 hour to the Meta team
- Brett McSherry – 3 hours to the Marketing team
- Nicholas Garofalo – 2 hours to the Marketing team
Historically, Automattic has been the largest contributor to the WordPress project. Five for the Future program updates, last released in May 2024, showed that its Dot Org division accounted for 50% of all pledged company hours.
WP Engine’s low level of contribution compared to other companies wasn’t widely discussed until Mullenweg made it a focal point of his WordCamp US keynote last September. During his speech, he publicly attacked WP Engine and its private equity firm, Silver Lake, accusing them of profiting off WordPress while giving little back to the project.
Mullenweg frames WordPress slowdown as “back to basics”
Concerns about slowing core development surfaced again last month during Mullenweg’s Q&A at WordCamp Asia 2025, where a developer pleaded with him to reconsider Automattic’s contribution cuts. Mullenweg said his company had been forced to divert resources to its legal defense, and contributions would return to previous levels once the lawsuit with WP Engine was resolved.
Speaking on Lenny’s Podcast this week, Mullenweg reframed WordPress’s slowing development as a strategic shift, saying the project would focus on “ruthlessly editing and cutting” old features that may no longer be relevant in 2025.
“It’s our big focus for us this year—going back to basics, back to core, and improving all those nooks and crannies of the experience,” Mullenweg said.
But the reality is Automattic has pulled key people like Benguella, Ventura, Tabor, and McCarthy—leaving critical gaps that make it impossible for the project to maintain the same pace of development.
Tensions continue over governance and decision-making
Automattic and WP Engine’s contribution cuts come amid growing frustration over WordPress governance and decision-making processes. In December, 20 veteran core committers and contributors published an open letter urging Mullenweg to propose “community-minded” solutions to governance issues. In November, core committers also raised concerns about a “culture of fear” within the project, citing Mullenweg’s “outsized control” and the potentially career-ending consequences of speaking out against him.
This week, concerns about decision-making transparency surfaced in the WordPress 6.7 retrospective survey, where a release lead described having their authority disregarded by a full-time sponsored contributor. “This person was disrespectful, undermined us, and not least, chose to not communicate,” the anonymous release lead said, adding that they would not participate in a future release squad.
Concerns about decision-making processes and transparency are not new. The WordPress 6.5 retrospective survey surfaced similar frustrations, with contributors describing burnout, unclear leadership decisions, and major feature changes happening behind closed doors.
Mary Hubbard, the Executive Director of WordPress, didn’t respond to a request for comment about Automattic’s reduction in pledged hours or how the company would respond if WP Engine reduced its pledge to zero.
Feature image credit: Gianni Vascellari.
