My Freedom as an Open Source Contributor

I’ve received a few questions recently about my involvement in the #WordPress community and whether it limits my ability to contribute elsewhere. This post is a summary of my replies.

Back in 2012, I was contributing to both CMS Made Simple and WordPress, no problem. “Today, if I contribute to WordPress while also working on other open-source projects, it’s still no problem.

In 2018, I attended an independent WordPress event called WPTech in Lyon, which was created because, at the time, WordCamps had to be for a general audience and could not focus solely on specific groups like tech enthusiasts and developers. It wasn’t run by WordPress Community Support (WPCS), didn’t use the WordPress logo, and only had “WP” in the name. No problem.

My current contributions

I currently contribute to the WordPress project for about ten hours a week. This is a reduction from last year, when I contributed twenty hours a week, as I can no longer contribute to the DEIB group and the Sustainability team due to their closure. Additionally, I probably won’t mentor in the next cohort of the Mentorship program, as I did twice in 2024, though this is yet to be confirmed.

My current contributions are: contributing to the Community Team by co-organising the Geneva, Switzerland and Europe official events, being an official event-supporter (aka WordCamp mentor), participating in Community meetings and contributing to GatherPress, for which I sought confirmation from the head of the Five for the Future initiative to ensure it counts towards the program.

My roles, as listed above, do not mean I can’t be involved in other projects. I never signed an “exclusivity agreement.” The only thing I agreed to is following the rules outlined in the WordCamp Organizer Handbook and I follow these guidelines with enthusiasm, respect, and inclusivity. I trust that the Community Team representatives share this perspective!

My sponsor, Themeisle (see my thank you post), pays me for five hours a week to contribute to WordPress via the Five for the Future initiative. They have not imposed any limitations on my contributions, as long as they are related to the official WordPress project. They have also not restricted my free speech, for which I am grateful. I know many friends who are employees in the WordPress ecosystem and have been explicitly asked not to comment on the current situation in the WordPress community, which makes me even more appreciative of my freedom to speak openly. I include a disclaimer in all my related blog posts stating that my opinions are my own and do not represent my sponsor.

I declare

Based on all the considerations stated above, and it should go without saying, I declare that I have the full freedom to contribute wherever I choose. Whether it is co-organising or attending an event, speaking, sponsoring, or participating in any way, I am free to engage with multiple CMSes, open-source projects, independent WordPress initiatives, or forks. My contributions are my choice, and nothing restricts me from being involved in different communities.

The header image is AI generated by Edophoto via Yayimages (licensed). I choose it to represent freedom and my path, the blue side being WordPress.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and do not represent the views of my sponsors or the projects I am part of, such as the WordCamp Europe organising team, my other roles in the Make Community team or GatherPress community engagement. If there is any conflict with these projects, I welcome any feedback, and I am open to stepping down from my roles.