In her first public call with the WordPress community, the project’s new Executive Director, Mary Hubbard, faced tough questions and addressed them head-on, even offering an apology for the alienation many feel amid WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg’s war with WP Engine.

“I apologize that a large percentage of the WP community has felt alienated. I recognize that. I feel it and I hear it in the conversations that I’m having,” Hubbard said in response to a question about rebuilding trust.

Hubbard returned to Automattic in October to lead the company’s “DotOrg” division, the team working on the WordPress project and WordPress.org. Hubbard previously served as General Manager of the WooCommerce Marketplace and later as Chief Product Officer for WordPress.com. She replaces Josepha Haden Chomphosy, who accepted a buyout offer from Automattic in September.

During the one-hour call on November 22, Hubbard stressed that building trust within the community would take time and committed to transparent decision-making and clear communication. She plans to post regularly on WordPress.org and said she would be joining Bluesky despite previously shying away from social media.

While Hubbard is still figuring out her primary responsibilities, she said the WordPress community was a priority, adding, “Obviously, it’s hurt, and we have a lot to do.”

Describing her leadership style, Hubbard said she prefers to “lead from behind the push things through my team.” She shared what she believes are the three biggest challenges facing the WordPress community: the decline in new attendees at WordPress events, the commercialization of WordPress and how the community fits into this, and the need for innovation.

Hubbard’s reentry into the WordPress community comes at a challenging time for WordPress as the community navigates long-standing frustrations around governance, particularly as it’s become known that Mullenweg personally owns the WordPress.org website. Her most recent role involved overseeing governance and experience at TikTok, a company she said was “not very well-liked” in the United States, which meant she had to deal with angry people.

“I took the time to listen and understand what people’s pain-points were, understand what people needed from me as a leader and needed from [TikTok] as a product, and what we needed to build,” she said. “I think we could do that again [for WordPress].”

Hubbard will be at Mullenweg’s annual State of the Word address in Tokyo, Japan, on December 16, and is also planning to attend WordCamp Asia 2025 in Manila, Philippines, from February 20-22.

The full meeting recording from Hubbard’s call is available to watch on CloudUp.com.