Category: Interview

Alejandro Sanchez shares his journey from discovering WordPress as a student in Venezuela to his current role at OnTheGoSystems, parent company of WPML. In this interview, Alejandro reflects on his experiences in multilingual structuring, SEO, and web development. He discusses challenges and exciting advancements in WordPress, from the importance of user experience (UX) to the ongoing modernization of its code. Alejandro also offers practical advice for developers new to the WordPress community, highlighting the need for a welcoming approach and a stronger focus on performance and inclusion.

In this interview, Miriam Schwab, Head of WordPress Relations at Elementor, shares her journey into the WordPress community and how she turned a passion for building websites into a career of impactful contributions. Miriam highlights her experience as a WordCamp organizer and Core contributor, and reflects on her startup, Strattic, as well as her role in advocating for WordPress innovation and resilience. She discusses her views on the future of WordPress, the importance of the theme ecosystem, and offers valuable advice for new developers looking to get involved.

In this interview, Isotta Peira shares her journey into the WordPress ecosystem, which began in 2019 when she needed a website for her culinary events business. Initially unsure about managing a site, she gradually grew more confident and involved in the WordPress community. Since joining Automattic in 2022, Isotta has contributed significantly, especially through her work with the WordPress Community Team and initiatives like the post-event Attendee survey translation project. She offers valuable insights into the importance of community engagement, mentorship, and the future direction of WordPress development, while encouraging new contributors to get involved and make an impact.

In this interview, Bernie Reiter shares his journey into the WordPress community, starting with his first WordPress blog in 2006. As one of the Editor Tech leads for WordPress 6.1 and a Core Committer, Bernhard has contributed to projects focused on enhancing the developer experience, including the Block Hooks and Interactivity APIs. He reflects on the evolution of WordPress development, highlighting the future of script modules and PHP enhancements, and offers advice for new developers looking to get involved in the community.

In this insightful conversation, Paolo L. Scala discusses his initial encounter with WordPress while working at the Italian Institute of Astrophysics in 2015. Drawn to the platform’s extensive resources, he eventually applied his WordPress skills to redesign an NGO’s website. Paolo shares his experience contributing to open-source projects, beginning in 2006 with Mambo CMS and later joining the WordPress community during a Contributor’s Day at Yoast in 2022. His advice to new developers emphasizes the importance of attending WordPress events to experience the inclusive and supportive nature of the community.

In this interview, Birgit Pauli-Haack shares her journey from discovering WordPress as a solution for a nonprofit organization in 2009 to becoming a key contributor to the WordPress ecosystem. With contributions ranging from organizing meetups to being part of WordCamp US and the Gutenberg changelog podcast, Birgit’s story highlights her passion for open-source collaboration. She also provides valuable advice for new developers and insights on how to stay updated with the latest trends in WordPress development.

In this insightful interview, Carlos Bravo reflects on his journey into WordPress development, starting over a decade ago when he sought an easier alternative to e-commerce platforms like Magento. He shares his early contributions to WordPress, beginning with the Twenty Nineteen theme, and his impactful roles as a maintainer for the Interactivity API and Editor Tech co-lead for WordPress 6.1. Carlos emphasizes the excitement surrounding the future of WordPress, particularly with projects like the HTML API and Block Bindings API. He offers valuable advice for new developers on navigating WordPress and the open-source ecosystem, stressing the importance of building in public and contributing incrementally. He also highlights the significance of community outreach and suggests that WordPress be introduced in schools and universities to foster the next generation of developers.

In this engaging interview, Olga Gleckler shares her journey into WordPress, starting as a developer creating custom admin interfaces before discovering the simplicity and flexibility of WordPress. She reflects on her first experiences with open-source contributions, starting at WordCamp Nordic in 2019, and highlights her involvement in the WordPress Marketing team and the impactful ‘Get Involved’ tab project for version 6.3. Olga emphasizes the importance of community support in pushing through challenges and discusses her vision for the future of WordPress, including a redesigned, more intuitive admin interface. She offers practical advice for new developers looking to contribute to WordPress, encouraging growth through incremental contributions and collaboration. Olga also suggests ways to make the onboarding process more welcoming and fun, with a focus on raising awareness of opportunities in the WordPress ecosystem.

⁠In this insightful interview, Andrea Fercia, a long-time contributor to WordPress, shares his journey into the platform and his contributions, particularly to improving accessibility. With a background in web accessibility since 2004, Andrea was drawn to WordPress in 2013 for its accessibility potential. He discusses his early contributions to WordPress, including overcoming “Imposter Syndrome” and making his first code submission. Andrea reflects on the current state of WordPress development, the challenges posed by the separation of Core and Gutenberg development, and his vision for a more unified future. With a focus on accessibility, Andrea offers advice to new developers on contributing effectively to open-source projects and emphasizes the importance of welcoming processes and documentation to attract new contributors.

In this interview, Matteo Enna, a developer with a strong technical background in computer science, shares his journey into the WordPress ecosystem. His first experience with WordPress dates back to 2012 during a web design course where he discovered PHP and WordPress. Matteo has been deeply involved in the open-source community, with contributions ranging from plugin development to supporting the WordPress Core Performance Team through the Five for the Future initiative. He discusses his passion for WordPress, offers advice to new developers, and emphasizes the importance of participation and collaboration across communities to ensure WordPress remains adaptable to new technologies and trends.