Recently the new Executive of WordPress.org Mary Hubbard did a question and answer Zoom stream with Matt Mullenweg. WordPress focused news outlets covered this in a rather unquestioning way (no surprise, considering the general lack of journalism from them). Watching it, a question and the lack of an answer stood out that wasn’t covered by those news outlets. Mary Hubbard read this question (at the 30 minute mark of the stream):

I would love to see WordPress and A8C [Automattic] make a move towards more professional communication. Those are rough edges, like Otto and Felipe that sometimes come off as too aggressive of community members. Do you plan on recruiting volunteers with communication experience?

The people referenced there are a direct employee of Matt Mullenweg, through Audrey Capital, Samuel “Otto” Wood and Automattic employee Felipe Santos. So both work for Matt Mullenweg.

Matt Mullenweg jumped in before she could answer the question, saying this:

And I replied there, that, were not going, like, comment on people, other people, in this venue. That is not an appropriate forum for that.

What other forum would there be for it? It isn’t like WordPress has proper governance, where you could report problematic behavior. It also isn’t a new issue. You can read a previous discussion of the problems with Samuel Wood’s lack of communication skills back in 2018. The issues with him go back much further and they have continued since then. From the outside it looks like he is protected because he does what Matt Mullenweg wants him to do.

Felipe Santos is someone we are less familiar with, but recent activity before the whole extortion saga, involved him somehow being in charge of adding new members to the Plugin Review Team and shaping the future of that team, despite not being part of the team. That started at a time when it was claimed that Automattic wasn’t involved in the team.

The question, though, wasn’t about those folks, just mentioning them as examples of a problem. At the end of the Q&A, Matt Mullenweg said “We should not shy away from conflict, um, because we’re ultimately trying to do the best thing for our users, our customers, our community.” That would suggest that he isn’t trying to do the best by those groups, as he is shutting down a question about a conflict between the community and those working for him. Based on our experience over the years, people he has empowered, including Samuel Wood, have shutdown attempts to address problems he and they have created or allowed to fester. WordPress hasn’t been a place for open debate.

Matt Mullenweg’s explanation for shutting down the question also runs directly counter to his own behavior recently. He has repeatedly focused on one employee of an investor in WP Engine, Lee Wittlinger, that seems intended to harass that person instead of led to better outcomes for the WordPress community. Do as I say and not as I do has long been an issue with those in control of WordPress.