The FAIR project (Federated and Independent Repositories), announced with backing from the Linux Foundation, promises to “decentralise Wordpress infrastructure and restore balance to a platform many feel has been monopolised by Automattic.” What’s really going on there? My critical analysis:
This article isn’t here to offer a perfect solution. It’s here to document the risks being ignored and the power dynamics being whitewashed.
Introduction
Unveiled in June 2025 at the Alt Ctrl Org event in Basel, FAIR marks a coordinated push to build an alternative plugin and update infrastructure outside Automattic’s control.
But behind the promise of open governance and improved supply chain security lies a much messier, more political reality. This article attempts an objective assessment of FAIR’s motivations, potential benefits, and likely trajectory, in light of Wordpress’ recent history and current ecosystem.
– A note to the Capital “P” (and double “t” for that matter) purists: if you’re here for that debate, kindly fork off.
Context: the Wordpress power struggle
Over the past year, the Wordpress ecosystem has been rocked by a visible internal conflict. At the centre is Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of Wordpress and CEO of Automattic, who holds private control over wordpress.org – a central hub for themes, plugins, and core updates (Wordpress ORG vs COM). While this structure worked for years, recent moves by Mullenweg have raised concerns:
- Blocking access to Wordpress.org update infrastructure for WP Engine and its plugins (notably ACF), affecting thousands of users.
- Using Wordpress.org real estate to promote competing services.
- Filing cease-and-desist letters and trademark claims interpreted by many as anti-competitive.
- Allegedly (I would say “obviously” but that is my opinion) manipulating plugin visibility, reviews, and the plugin repository.
In response, a group of long-time contributors and developers, including Joost de Valk (Yoast SEO founder) and Karim Marucchi (CEO of Crowd Favorite), announced FAIR – a distributed plugin and update infrastructure intended to be governed by the community and hosted by multiple organisations (just like Wordpress open source was originally advertised).
FAIR: the pitch
FAIR claims to offer:
- Federated plugin/theme/update mirrors.
- Cryptographic signing of packages.
- Transparent (the overused buzzword king) removal processes.
- DID-based (decentralized identifier) security identities.
- Improved plugin discovery (including premium plugins).
- Governance under a Linux Foundation-backed neutral body
Supporters frame this as a return to the spirit of open source: community-led, transparent, and free from centralised abuse. Is it?
Deconstructing FAIR: who really benefits?
Let’s start with the most obvious red flag: FAIR’s leadership.
Joost de Valk is a central figure behind FAIR’s inception, promotion, and design. While this is not inherently problematic, it is ironic, given his past:
- Pioneered plugin review-gaming strategies (Yoast 2016 rating – and after 3 months of rigged reviews) and upsell banners.
- Profited enormously from the very Wordpress.org visibility structure he now criticises (didn’t complain before).
- Sold Yoast to Newfold Digital, which now co-sponsors FAIR infrastructure.
In other words: the people who most exploited the old system are now presenting themselves as reformers of that same system – only this time, they’re building a new one they control from the start.
FAIR’s alignment with the Linux Foundation adds credibility but also serves as a strategic shield. LF projects often offer reputational cover for initiatives driven by commercial backers. In this case, the foundation enables Joost, Karim, and corporate partners like WP Engine to present FAIR as a community good rather than a counter-move in a corporate struggle.
FAIR avoids using the word “fork” at all costs – but it’s clear they’re itching to fork the whole thing.
Automattic’s role: not innocent either
To be clear: Automattic’s behaviour has provoked this response.
- By tying plugin visibility and distribution to commercial leverage.
- By treating Wordpress.org like corporate property.
- By attacking WP Engine (while praising similar behaviour by Newfold Digital).
Automattic blurred the lines between open-source stewardship and self-enrichment. When plugin developers are locked out of their own projects for political reasons, the calls for decentralisation become not just valid but urgent.
So while FAIR may be self-serving, it is a response to an already broken structure.
Risks: governance, fragmentation, and trust
FAIR introduces some serious concerns of its own:
- Who moderates mirrors?
Will malware and scam plugins creep in without central oversight? - Who controls trust and ranking signals?
If decentralised, can plugin discovery still be fair (nothing remotely convincing when it comes to this)? - Governance opacity.
While the Linux Foundation is technically neutral, many LF projects are in practice run by corporate steering groups. - Fragmentation risk.
Competing plugin directories could confuse users, split communities, and undermine confidence.
If FAIR ends up as a semi-private ecosystem run by the same elite plugin developers and hosts who dominated .org, it may solve nothing – or even make things worse?
Plugin visibility and enforcement have always been political weapons in Wordpress. Automattic wielded them clumsily and selfishly. FAIR, led by players who thrived (and gamed) that very system, offers no credible plan to break the cycle. Expect a rebranded oligarchy, not a revolution.
The likely future
The crystal ball / betting in one beer section
- Short-term:
FAIR gains traction with some large hosts and enterprises. Plugin devs hedge bets (fear and confusion can be abused) by mirroring releases on FAIR. - Medium-term:
Community splits emerge. Either FAIR builds real utility (e.g. faster updates, reliable analytics), or it stagnates as a niche fork. - Long-term:
Either Automattic adapts by cleaning up governance, or FAIR becomes the “enterprise Wordpress” distro.
Conclusion: scrutiny is warranted
FAIR is not a scam. But it’s not a grassroots revolution either.
It is a political, technical, and economic reaction to Automattic’s consolidation of power.
That alone makes it worth watching. But don’t mistake it for altruism. FAIR is a move in a long game of control over the Wordpress’ economy. That will not result in more freedom (probably not even a change of gatekeepers – just improving the profits for the “FAIR” players – pun intended).
If you care about open-source integrity, the question isn’t “should you support FAIR?” but rather:
“How can we pivot in a corporate owned world with ever tightening controls and decreasing fairness?”
Because right now, there are no good guys – just two empires, both looking to expand.
Apendix: Public discourse, platform control, and who gets heard
If you search Google for “Wordpress FAIR” or “FAIR package manager” this article doesn’t show up. Instead, the top results include:
- A Reddit thread (pinned as “Community highlights” in r/Wordpress at the time of writing) filled with FAIR’s developers responding to questions – often with friendly but tightly controlled messaging (like PR).
- That thread links to a Fast Company article quoting FAIR’s founders and Linux Foundation staff with no mention of governance concerns or past abuse of influence (like PR as opposed to remotely investigative journalism).
There is no serious critique. No history. No balance. Just PR.
This is not accidental. Reddit is now prioritised by Google search results. Fast Company is algorithmically boosted as a “trusted source.” Independent, critical articles – even those with specific facts and early publication – are buried.
FAIR claims to decentralise infrastructure. But its rollout shows how influence remains centralised: not in code, but in visibility.
Gatekeeping today doesn’t require censorship. It just means your work isn’t shown.
FAIR may fix some technical issues. But it does not fix the deeper problem of who gets heard, and how platforms shape the story.
Update 2026 – told you so!
Update, February 26, 2026: the white flag of “uncomfortable empathy.”
In a move that fully validates my initial skepticism, the founders of FAIR, “Karim & Joost,” gave up:
“FAIR, WordPress, and Knowing When to Stop.”
After months of marketing FAIR as a “community-led” “revolution against centralized control,” the truth has come out: it was a business proposal that failed to get funding from the major hosting companies. In a stunning reversal, the founders now claim to have “uncomfortable empathy” for Matt Mullenweg’s complaints about “hosting companies profiting from the ecosystem without contributing back” – I call bullshit on this last part too, but that’s covered in my separate Wordpress drama article(s).
Again, this confirms my initial assessment. FAIR wasn’t about “open source integrity” – it was an attempt to swap one gatekeeper for another. When the other “empires” (the hosts) realized they’d have to pay for the new gatekeeper, they stayed home.
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