Executive Director at WordPress, Josepha Haden has officially announced her resignation after 9 years of service. Josepha took this step after a turmoil period for the platform, weeks after a major conflict involving WordPress Co-Founder Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine, a WordPress hosting company.
This news has caught the WordPress community by shock and surprise. Furthermore, it stirred curiosity due to unprecedented timing, amid several internal changes and severe controversies within the company. To make it easy for you to understand how it all unfolded, we have mentioned a detailed timeline of events leading to this major transition.
Events Timeline
Late September 2024 – A Storm of Conflict at WordPress
- Storms of conflict-hit WordPress in late September. This storm started with a conflict between Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, and WP Engine, a managed WordPress hosting provider.
- Mullenweg launched an intensive campaign against WP Engine, this conflict escalated in a short period when WP Engine proceeded with a Federal Lawsuit. These lawsuits accused Mullenweg and Automattic (WordPress’s Parent Company) of extortion attempts. Consequently, a public spark impacted the
WordPress ecosystem. People started to question the company’s leadership and direction.
October 2, 2024 – Rumors of Chomphosy’s Resignation
- As the turmoil increased, another controversy hit the WordPress community. Josepha Haden Chomphosy’s resignation leaked on October 2nd, when the founder of WP Tavern, a popular WordPress news site, tweeted about it. WP Tavern, which is owned by Matt Mullenweg, revealed that Chomphosy had confirmed her resignation in a private conversation.
- This leak took many by shock, even including Chomphosy herself, who expressed displeasure at the premature reveal of the resignation decision.
October 3, 2024 – Official Resignation Announcement
- The next day, Chomphosy addressed the WordPress community herself through a post on her blog. She confirmed her resignation from the Executive Director of WordPress position but she managed to keep her tone hopeful and positive.
- In her message to the community, she highlighted that she strongly believes in the power of the open-source community, writing,
“I still believe that open source is an idea that can transform generations”
Internal Leadership Exodus
- Chomphosy’s departure from WordPress is not an isolated event. In the wake of internal unrest, Automattic also saw the departure of 8.4% of its employees, many of them left after being offered a generous package.
- Consequently, this exodus brought a strong sense of instability within the company, leading some to question the future of WordPress.
Why Did Chomphosy Resign?
By analyzing her message to the community, it is evident that her departure from WordPress is more likely to be a personal decision instead of by external factor. She clearly said that her time at WordPress had been transformative for her as a leader and an advocate. Despite the resignations and ongoing legal matters, Chomphonsy remains optimistic about the future of WordPress and the values of the open-source movement.
Farewell Note
Here is what she said in her farewell note:
“There’s still more to do in our shared quest to secure a self-sustaining future of the open-source project that we all love… I believe the world will always need the more equitable opportunities that well-maintained open source can provide: access to knowledge and learning, easy-to-join peer and business networks, and the amplification of unheard voices.“
Her farewell note shows that she still believes in the power of WordPress and its community is unwavering.
Future of WordPress
We can easily say that the departure of Chomposhy from WordPress, it is time of critical juncture for WordPress. Her resignation, leadership vacuum, internal resignations, and legal fights with WP Engine present significant challenges for WordPress, but also opportunities at the same time. It is yet to be seen how WordPress will navigate this critical period, but we can assume that the platform is far from finished.
