Matt Mullenweg has announced that Mary Hubbard will take over as the new Executive Director of WordPress.org on 21st October, 2024, following the resignation of Josepha Haden Chomphosy.
Mary is taking on this new role after stepping down as the Head of TikTok Americas, Governance and Experience. She is not a stranger to the WordPress arena, having worked at Automattic from 2020 to 2023 as GM Marketplace and Chief Experience/Product Officer for WordPress.com. Her diverse experience also includes roles at TruRating, Assurant, Walmart, and eBay.
Matt expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “I’m very excited to have Mary on board. :)”. He also said that “she has deep knowledge of WordPress and expertise across business, product, marketplaces, program management, and governance.”
When asked if Mary’s appointment is a “1:1 backfill for Josepha’s role or if her scope will be different?” Matt said, “The scope will be significantly broader as Mary brings many talents to the ecosystem.”
Mary will be an Automattic employee and she will work for the WordPress project. She steps into the position during a challenging time, as 159 employees, including the former executive director, Josepha, left Automattic after accepting the Alignment Offer.
Community Response
The community is cautiously optimistic in the light of the recent events.
Automattic’s last big hire was Pedraum Pardehpoosh , who joined as VP of Product.
