Several long-time contributors to the WordPress project are stepping back or have been forced to stop contributing altogether as tensions rise over Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg’s conflict with WP Engine. While some contributors have voluntarily paused their involvement due to concerns about Mullenweg’s interactions with the WordPress community, others have been banned from WordPress.org, leaving them no choice but to quit.
Core committer Colin Stewart has paused his contributions indefinitely. In a GitHub post on Wednesday, he stated that he no longer wants to be part of an environment that “continues to operate with a willingness to harm the community and thrive on a fear of speaking out.”
“I have tried to play my part, in the community’s interest, to encourage a change of approach by the project’s leadership,” Stewart wrote. “Despite this, further community-damaging actions have been taken. As a direct result of this continued unwillingness to respect the community, I am regretfully withdrawing from all contributing to WordPress Core and any WordPress.org property until further notice.”
Stewart urged unsponsored contributors to consider whether their “goodwill and generosity” are being taken for granted to sustain what he described as a harmful environment.
“Consider whether you want to preserve the community, or preserve the harmful environment. You cannot do both,” he said. “Withdraw, if you can and want to, from contributing to WordPress Core or any WordPress.org property until a healthy environment is put in place.”
Stewart attempted to engage with Mullenweg on Slack last week after a controversial checkbox requiring users to confirm they’re not affiliated with WP Engine was added to WordPress.org, a site that Mullenweg, a co-founder of WordPress, owns. A thread Stewart started, asking for clarification on the potential legal implications of checking the box, has garnered 206 comments to date.
Core committer Tonya Mork has also paused her contributions. Mork, who is sponsored by Awesome Motive, has played a crucial role in recent months, leading and supporting minor security releases of WordPress.
On X, Mork expressed deep concern over the well-being and eroding trust of contributors and users.
“By contributing, I may unintentionally convey: you’re safe here, you’re valued, users’ trust is safeguarded,” she wrote. “Let me be clear: I believe in WordPress. I’m staying. I’m hopeful to return to contributing, committing, and helping releases. No judgment from me if you’re contributing. I value you.”
Scott Kingsley Clark, a GoDaddy-sponsored contributor, announced on Sunday that he had quit contributing to WordPress and called for new leadership for the Fields API. Four days later, on Thursday, Clark was banned from WordPress.org after Matt Mullenweg asked if he wanted his accounts deactivated.
“I have believed for the past decade that we need a Fields API within WordPress itself. I still believe this, and many others do too,” Clark said in his post, adding that he hoped someone passionate about the project would step in to take over.
Clark’s departure places the future of the Fields API in doubt. The project, which aims to provide a unified PHP interface for managing forms within the WordPress admin area, was originally launched by Clark in 2016 before being rebooted in January 2023 and gaining steam at WordCamp US 2024.
In a blunt statement on GitHub, Clark made his views on recent events clear: “Anyone is free to lead the project in the #core-fields Slack channel. I’m done making excuses for Matt’s actions and will no longer associate myself with core.”
The decisions by Mork, Clark, and Stewart to step back follow the shock ban of WP REST API creator Ryan McCue last week. McCue, a long-time core committer, was instrumental in enabling WordPress to be used in custom and enterprise applications.
In recent weeks, McCue has shared his thoughts on the conflict between WP Engine and Automattic, discussing both the legal arguments in his post WP Engine Must Win and the moral arguments in A Stronger Foundation for the Ecosystem.
Last week, Megan Rose, Codeable’s Head of Community, quit the WordPress Incident Response Team, citing mental health concerns, and Andrey “Rarst” Savchenko is no longer maintaining the Date/Time component in WordPress core.
Meanwhile, the WordPress Accessibility Team’s meetings were suspended this week after reps Nazmul Hasan Robin and Rishi Mehta were unable to log in due to the WP Engine-related checkbox. Mullenweg suggested that new reps should be found to replace them.
In an update on the Make WordPress Accessible blog, accessibility contributor Joe Dolson said Robin had managed to log in and continue leading the accessibility team, though Mehta remains locked out. “Historically, getting anyone to serve as team representative has been a challenge,” Dolson said. “We’re all busy working on improving accessibility, and it’s difficult to find people willing to coordinate meetings.”
Despite some core contributors stepping back, WordPress 6.7 remains on track for release on November 12. Automattic-sponsored contributor Dave Smith has stepped in to replace Robert Anderson as an Editor Tech Lead after Anderson chose to take the company’s initial buyout offer.
Image credit: Choong Deng Xiang on Unsplash.