Yoast Co-Founder Proposes a WordPress Contributor Board
Yoast co-founder Joost de Valk proposes a WordPress Contributor Board to promote transparency, fair contributions, and stakeholder representation within the community. His vision aims to sustain the open source ecosystem by encouraging companies to reinvest and collaborate for WordPress’s future.
Joost de Valk, co-founder of the popular Yoast SEO plugin, has published an article advocating for greater equity in contributions from major WordPress companies, calling for more financial transparency, and suggesting the creation of a new board to represent the voices of contributors and companies within the WordPress ecosystem.
Supporting WordPress Leadership and Accountability
In his article, de Valk aligns with Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg, who has voiced concerns that WP Engine, a major WordPress hosting company, is not contributing enough to the open source project, despite benefiting greatly from it. De Valk praises Mullenweg for his leadership and the significant contributions Automattic makes to WordPress development. However, he contrasts this with companies that profit substantially from the platform but fail to contribute to the community in a proportional manner.
He emphasizes this point in his writing:
"I agree with Matt about his opinion that a big hosting company such as WPEngine should contribute more. It is the right thing to do."
De Valk explains that his support for greater contributions is rooted in his own experience with Yoast, sharing that his team dedicated substantial time to contributing to WordPress’s Gutenberg Project, even when it impacted their revenue. Despite a dip in income, he believes their efforts benefited the community and supported the sustainability of WordPress.
The Call for a Contributor Board
To foster a more sustainable open source ecosystem, de Valk proposes the formation of a board that would represent the various stakeholders within the WordPress community, including contributors and companies. The board would not have governing power but would serve as an advisory body to facilitate open dialogue about WordPress’s future and ensure that contributions from all parties are recognized and valued.
In his vision, this board would represent a range of stakeholders, including developers, event organizers, and the leadership of hosting companies, ensuring that everyone has a voice in the decision-making process. De Valk frames this in terms of "taxation with representation"—those who contribute to WordPress should have a say in how decisions are made.
He also suggests the board could help highlight and encourage contributions from companies that have a vested interest in WordPress’s success, creating a virtuous cycle of reinvestment in the platform.
Business Experience and Open Source Philosophy
De Valk’s suggestion is informed by his own experiences in the WordPress community. In a 2013 WordCamp presentation titled "The Victory of the Commons," de Valk described how he had spent years contributing to WordPress and developing the Yoast plugin without initially earning any money. He reached a point where he had to balance his passion for WordPress with his need to generate income, ultimately choosing a path that benefited both him and the community.
In that presentation, de Valk referenced the "Tragedy of the Commons," a concept where individuals deplete shared resources by acting in their own self-interest. He applied this idea to the WordPress community, suggesting that companies should not only make money from WordPress but also reinvest in it to ensure its sustainability. De Valk believes that reinvesting in WordPress benefits everyone involved and creates a self-sustaining ecosystem.
"Reinvest some of that profit into all of our main pasture, WordPress. We all benefit," de Valk said.
Three Key Points of the Proposal
De Valk outlines three primary goals for the proposed board:
- Representation of Stakeholders
He stresses the importance of all contributors having a say in how resources are used, from core developers to event organizers and company leaders. - Facilitation of Transparent Discussions
While de Valk acknowledges that Mullenweg should remain the project leader, he believes more transparency is needed in decision-making. A board would create space for open dialogue about WordPress’s roadmap and its impact on the community. - Encouragement and Recognition of Contributions
The board could also play a role in highlighting companies that actively contribute to WordPress and encouraging others to follow suit.
Financial Transparency in Contributions
In addition to proposing the board, de Valk calls for clearer financial transparency within the WordPress ecosystem. He raises concerns about the financial relationships between Automattic, which owns the WordPress trademark, and other companies like Newfold Digital (the parent company of Bluehost), which pay to use the trademark.
De Valk suggests that there is currently a lack of clarity regarding how much of Automattic’s contributions to WordPress are subsidized by these financial arrangements. He proposes that more transparency in these financial flows could help the community better understand how contributions are funded and whether more of the money should go directly to the WordPress Foundation.
"Let everybody see how the money flows," de Valk writes.
WordPress at a Crossroads
De Valk’s article suggests that WordPress may be at a critical juncture. He advocates for doubling down on the open source ethos that has made WordPress a global success. By encouraging greater contributions from companies that profit from the platform and ensuring that the community reinvests in its shared resource, WordPress can continue to thrive as a self-sustaining system that benefits everyone involved.
Ultimately, de Valk's proposal aims to bring WordPress back to its open source roots, promoting a collaborative environment where contributions are recognized, and the community’s long-term health is ensured.
