WordPress Community Divided: Fork Talk, Governance, and Open Source Challenges

The WordPress community has been rocked by controversy recently, with key figures clashing over governance, contributions, and the future of the open-source project. At the centre of the debate is Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic and co-creator of WordPress, who deactivated several prominent WordPress.org community accounts — a move sparking intense debate.

Among those affected are Joost de Valk (creator of the Yoast SEO plugin) and Karim Marucchi (CEO of Crowd Favorite). While Mullenweg claims these individuals were exploring the possibility of forking WordPress — creating an independent project based on its code — both have denied such intentions. Let’s unpack the story and its implications.

The Roots of the Conflict

This latest conflict stems from long-standing criticism of WordPress governance, which some community members feel lacks transparency and inclusivity. Tensions flared in September when Mullenweg accused WP Engine, a WordPress-focused hosting company, of profiteering without proportionate contributions to the open-source project.

WP Engine later filed a lawsuit after being blocked from key WordPress resources, resulting in a court-ordered restoration of access. Against this backdrop, Joost de Valk and Karim Marucchi began publicly sharing ideas for changes within the WordPress ecosystem, including the concept of federated repositories — decentralised alternatives to WordPress.org’s centralised plugin and theme hosting model.

While these ideas were presented as ways to improve governance and resource sharing, Mullenweg saw them as signs of a potential fork, which escalated tensions further.

Fork or No Fork?

In open-source terms, a “fork” allows a group to take an existing project’s codebase and create a new, independent version. Mullenweg has said he supports the principle of forks, calling it part of what makes open-source projects powerful. However, his actions suggest otherwise, as he deactivated accounts of community members involved in discussions about change, including those of Sé Reed, Heather Burns, and Morten Rand-Hendriksen.

Joost de Valk and Karim Marucchi have denied plans to fork WordPress but expressed frustration with the current state of governance. In a blog post, de Valk emphasised the need for independent repositories to decentralise power and foster innovation, a sentiment echoed by Marucchi.

Governance and Accountability

The issue of governance within WordPress isn’t new. Critics like Burns and Rand-Hendriksen have long called for clearer accountability and conflict-of-interest policies. Both left the project years ago but were reportedly targeted by Mullenweg due to their past criticisms.

Their deactivation raises questions about how dissent is handled in the WordPress community. While Mullenweg encourages innovation and forks in theory, the reality of silencing voices advocating for change has caused widespread concern.

What’s Next for WordPress?

Despite the conflict, Mullenweg seems open to seeing alternative approaches flourish. In a blog post, he even joked about potential names for a fork, suggesting “JKPress” in reference to Joost and Karim. He also highlighted the open-source model’s strength: any innovation developed outside WordPress could ultimately benefit the platform, should it be merged back in.

Meanwhile, the broader WordPress community faces a pivotal moment. With de Valk and Marucchi offering to lead the next release of WordPress, and organisations like WP Engine expressing interest in supporting governance reform, the coming months could bring significant changes.

Open Source at a Crossroads

This debate underscores the complexities of managing an open-source project with WordPress’s scale and influence. While decentralisation and forks can foster innovation, they also risk fragmenting a community united by shared goals.

At SouthWest WebPress, we believe WordPress’s strength lies in its open-source nature and thriving community. While challenges like these test its resilience, they also offer opportunities for evolution and growth. We’ll be watching closely as the situation unfolds, hopeful that collaboration and shared vision will ultimately prevail.