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I’m surprised this hasn’t been asked sooner, but it’s a great bunch of questions with some good points. I’ll do my best to address them, and feel free to keep the conversation going if there are more questions.
I’m going to start off with a clarifying and important point that’s often difficult to distinguish if you’re not involved directly in the WordPress community. My full-time job is at a company called Automattic, most popularly known for operating WordPress.com. That takes up a typical 40 hour work-week.
My contributions to open-source projects like WordPress, BuddyPress, bbPress, are done in my free-time. I believe enough in the platforms to actively continue their development.
So the answer to your question; “WordPress” doesn’t pay anyone a salary.
Yes, I am currently leading the development of both BuddyPress and bbPress. My responsibilities include setting the roadmaps, shepherding development, and making sure the .org sites stay updated and operational. Yes, there’s a lot of responsibility there, and I appreciate that you think I’m doing a good job.
Consider also that bbPress has always been a bit of a hobby project. As a sister project to WordPress, and by nature of it being a support forum to the flagship project, it’s never been the focal point but is still critically important, since millions of people interact with it without ever knowing what it is.
BuddyPress and bbPress were both around for a number of years before I worked my way up to leading both projects. BuddyPress has two other consistent core committers that are doing a great job, and bbPress is the best opportunity for any developer to step in and get core-commit to help determine the direction of the project. It’s very much a meritocracy, so anyone that comes along and starts contributing will get noticed for it.
Even though I tend to do the majority of code commits, rest assured that there are plenty more eyes on the code than just mine and neither project is in any danger of losing momentum or being phased out. Automattic as a company loves both BuddyPress and bbPress, and the WordPress Foundation and community are both committed to supporting them for far into the future.
