Jonathan Desrosiers, a principal software engineer at Bluehost and a long-time WordPress contributor and Core committer, spoke on the Jukebox Podcast about making releases more meaningful, connecting release timing to flagship community events, and rebuilding contributor engagement after COVID.
Background and sponsorship
Jonathan has worked with WordPress for nearly two decades, contributed for more than ten years, and has been a Core committer for almost eight. At Bluehost he is sponsored through Five for the Future, focusing his time on improving the contributor experience, automating repetitive processes, and lowering barriers so more people can participate.
Releases as community moments
A recent major release was published live during State of the Word in San Francisco, creating a theatrical “big red button” moment. That kind of synchronized release goes beyond publicity: it treats releases as communal milestones. Pairing a release with an in-person flagship event can produce shared celebration, raise visibility, and help people feel part of something larger.
Are synchronized releases sustainable?
Plans for 2026 include experimenting with pairing releases to flagship WordCamps (for example, WordCamp Asia or WordCamp US) and State of the Word. Jonathan is clear that this is experimental: event dates are set by local organizers who juggle budgets, holidays, travel, weather, and venue constraints. Releases can’t dictate event timing, and global calendars complicate coordination—many regions observe holidays that reduce contributor availability, and December is often low-productivity.
Logistics and global coverage
Synchronized releases need global thinking. Release squads should include contributors across time zones so someone can respond during the cycle and if onsite connectivity or logistics fail. Traveling contributors at an event are valuable, but teams must also include remote members who can handle issues. Inclusivity is key: being at an event should never be a prerequisite to participating in a release.
Making releases more visible and useful
Jonathan discussed treating releases more like product launches or TV seasons: build anticipation and awareness. Current release pages only reach users who visit them proactively. To do better, WordPress could highlight upcoming features in dashboards (for example, widgets linking to Learn WordPress), offer early opt-in testing, and nudge users toward trying new capabilities.
Feature-branch model and release cadence
Jonathan supports a model where large features are developed on separate branches so they can ship independently when ready. That enables earlier opt-ins and clearer testing and feedback paths. But interdependent packages—especially in the block editor—and WordPress’s commitment to backward compatibility make frequent, fine-grained feature releases difficult. More automation and clearer architectural compartmentalization are needed before feature-by-feature releases become widely practical.
Adoption and auto-updates
Recent data show strong, accelerating adoption for major releases. Across the last ten major releases, each passed a 35% installation threshold within two days or less. WordPress 6.9 hit 50% of sites in ten days—four days faster than 6.8—and is approaching 65%. That trend suggests growing confidence in auto-updates for major versions and supports thinking about stronger communication and testing flows for new features.
Rebuilding community and contributor pipelines
Local Meetups and WordCamps felt strain after COVID. Many organizers and leaders moved on or burned out, disrupting mentorship and leadership handoffs. Recovery varies by region: APAC communities look strong and growing, while some US and UK meetups struggle to find speakers and attendees. Rebuilding local communities requires demonstrating clear value and offering straightforward ways for newcomers to get involved.
Education, mentorship, and WP Credits
Programs that focus on education and onboarding—WP Credits, mentorship programs, contributor days, and campus outreach—aim to attract new contributors, especially younger people. Jonathan highlighted mentorship programs that successfully produced contributors who later returned as mentors or assumed team lead roles. Outreach must be paired with activation: when new people are introduced to open source there must be follow-up, mentoring, and meaningful, discoverable tasks so contributors continue after an initial event.
Using events to onboard and retain contributors
Synchronized releases and contributor days are useful pilots for improved onboarding. For example, packaging a release candidate as a testable ZIP for onsite testers gives newcomers a concrete way to help—collecting PHP versions, installation methods, and bug reports. Making testing efforts meaningful—ensuring reports are triaged and visible—can turn a one-off activity into an ongoing path to contribution.
Attracting younger contributors and the role of excitement
Younger generations expect instant, visual, and empowering tools. To attract them, WordPress must be relevant, exciting, and clearly useful as both a learning platform and a career path. That may mean rethinking Meetup and WordCamp formats, improving learning materials, and adopting tooling that reduces friction and highlights the fun in building with WordPress.
AI, openness, and empowerment
Jonathan sees AI as a strong enabler for learning and personal empowerment: models can synthesize material and present it tailored to an individual’s learning style. AI lowers the barrier to experimentation, helping people who once relied on professionals try building and solving problems themselves. That could rekindle interest in owning websites and open platforms like blogs, RSS, and the Fediverse as people grow wary of closed silos.
Challenges remain: AI can produce quick but brittle solutions, and scaling projects securely and sustainably requires expertise. Still, AI can make open platforms more accessible and immediately useful.
Final thoughts
Jonathan recommends continuing to experiment with synchronized releases and using flagship events to create meaningful community moments while acknowledging logistical and architectural constraints. Rebuilding local communities will require education, mentorship, clear contributor pathways, and making WordPress and its events appealing to newer generations—potentially by embracing AI-enabled empowerment and emphasizing the lasting benefits of openness.
Find Jonathan at jonathandesrosiers.com, on the WordPress.org Slack, or as desrosej across social platforms.