So Long WordPress - Chris Wiegman

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2024-10-28 19:00:06

This has been a hard post for me to write after participating in WordPress since before I even started a career in tech and, until 3 months ago, for my entire tech career. That said, it has been in the making for quite a while now and it is time that I make it official.

It’s true that I had largely been moving away from the WordPress project since at least 2017. I think that is when I realized just how dishonest so much of the “community” around WordPress really is.

I’ve watched people pour their lives into giving back only to have it all tossed out because their important work isn’t what Matt wanted people to focus on.

I’ve watched good people try to make the community stronger and protect users by contributing to privacy, accessibility, governance and so many more vital areas only to, not only have their contributions ignored, but to see the contributors themselves abused and pushed out of the community entirely for their basic advocacy.

I’ve watched WordPress company after WordPress company claim to be “better” in how it treats its people. The truth is nearly all of them used WordPress’ virtues as an excuse to under pay people and abuse them. From some of the most respected product companies to some of the most prominent agencies I’ve watched them chew up good people with threats that they “aren’t good enough to leave” and similar to continue to justify low pay and benefits.