Jonathan Desrosiers, a principal software engineer at Bluehost and long-time WordPress contributor and Core committer, focuses on making WordPress more sustainable by improving releases, contributor workflows, and community engagement.
Role and focus
Jonathan is sponsored by Bluehost through Five for the Future and has worked on WordPress for over a decade. His efforts center on lowering barriers for contributors—through clearer processes, mentorship, and automation—so more people can participate, understand decisions, and carry projects forward.
Synchronized releases and community moments
A recent experiment paired a major release with State of the Word, creating a theatrical “release moment” where the community celebrated together. Building on that idea, Jonathan proposes tying flagship releases to major community events (WordCamp Asia, WordCamp Europe, WordCamp US) in 2026. The intent is community-first: while code and licensing are essential, the long-term health of the project depends on shared experiences that foster belonging and pride.
Practical constraints and logistics
Coordinating releases with event schedules is complex. Release timing must respect global holidays, cultural calendars, and the reality that many contributors are offline during certain months (December is often a blackout). Events themselves are scheduled based on budgets, venues, and regional needs—not software calendars. The pragmatic solution is to design releases for global coverage: assemble geographically diverse release squads, avoid making travel a requirement to contribute, and ensure people in different time zones can continue work when others are offline.
Balancing spectacle and speed
Jonathan likens releases to TV seasons—occasions for fanfare and shared anticipation. Those moments matter, but so does getting features and feedback to users quickly. WordPress faces architectural constraints: many editor features span interdependent packages, which complicates single-feature releases. Jonathan favors exploring feature-branch approaches and better compartmentalization so new work can be showcased and tested independently when practical, without slowing broader innovation.
Discovery, testing, and feedback loops
Because auto-updates are seamless, many users never see release notes—good for stability, but bad for awareness. Jonathan advocates for easier discovery of changes and earlier opt-in testing. Tactics could include dashboard notices, Learn WordPress links, and clearer opt-in testing pathways. Better release automation and visible testing channels would bring earlier feedback, reduce surprises at scale, and empower testers to report issues before broad rollout.
Adoption metrics and confidence
Jonathan has reviewed adoption data and sees major versions installing faster than before; one recent release hit 50% of sites in 10 days. That speed suggests growing confidence in auto-updates and release quality. This momentum is an opportunity to invest in more engaging release communications and community-facing moments that reinforce trust.
Community health since COVID
Meetup and WordCamp attendance declined in some regions after the pandemic. Many local leaders, volunteers, and speakers didn’t return, creating a “long-tail COVID” effect that hit regions unevenly—APAC appears resilient and growing, while parts of the US and Europe are still rebuilding. Reversal efforts focus on education and contributor onboarding programs such as WP Credits, Campus Connect, mentorship initiatives, and recurring contributor events. These programs have produced contributors who then mentor others and assume leadership, but the challenge is converting one-off participation into sustained engagement.
Attracting younger contributors
Jonathan stresses that reaching younger people means showing clear value and pathways to contribute. That involves offering small, achievable projects with visible outcomes (e.g., seeing a patch committed), mentorship, and supported onboarding. Events tied to education provide opportunities to pilot approaches and gather feedback on what helps newcomers stay involved.
AI, empowerment, and responsible building
AI changes the landscape by lowering the barrier to experimentation and summarizing complex concepts. Jonathan sees AI as a tool that can democratize prototyping and encourage people to build personal websites and services again. However, scaling solutions safely and securely still requires skilled developers. The tension between fast personal empowerment and the need for maintainable, accessible, and secure software is real. WordPress can help by making it easier for newcomers to build responsibly and by supporting communities that help maintain projects.
Making contributor moments meaningful
Jonathan wants release-related participation to have lasting impact. Instead of ephemeral testing at a release party, input should be captured, triaged, and converted into follow-up contributions and mentorship. Having contributors attend events in person makes it easier to trial improved onboarding and release processes and iterate on what works.
Outlook and contact
Jonathan is optimistic: there’s renewed enthusiasm to build with WordPress, and data shows faster major-release adoption. Reconnecting software milestones with community moments—through synchronized releases, clearer communications, and stronger onboarding—can help revive Meetups and WordCamps, attract younger talent, and reinforce the value of open source amid growing interest in AI and federated platforms.
Contact: jonathandesrosiers.com. Social handle: @desrosej. He is active in the wordpress.org Slack.