April 19, 2026
Akismetgate erupts
Matt Mullenweg Overrules Core Committers; Puts Akismet on WP 7's Connector List
Boss swoops in, devs push back, comments scream “favoritism”
TLDR: Matt Mullenweg ordered Akismet to appear on WordPress 7.0’s new Connectors screen, triggering a fast commit, a fast revert, and a fiery debate over process and favoritism. Commenters split between “it’s a reasonable product call” and “rules for thee,” with confusion over what a connector even is fueling the chaos.
WordPress just lit up like a drama Christmas tree. Matt Mullenweg—the project’s co‑founder and Automattic CEO—told core devs to list the company’s own anti‑spam tool, Akismet, on WordPress 7.0’s new “Connectors” screen, even if the plugin isn’t turned on yet. Think of a connector as a shortcut where you enter a key to hook your site to a service. The move was committed in 36 minutes during a release‑candidate window, then swiftly reverted—and the community went full popcorn.
Process hawks were furious. One dev called out the speed and timing as “inappropriate,” another warned it could show duplicate entries, and a third said no more connectors in core until there are actual rules. Meanwhile, Matt flipped his earlier stance and fired back, saying folks treated Akismet’s listing like an “existential moral crisis,” reminding everyone it’s been bundled with WordPress for nearly 20 years and pointing out the Connectors page already showcases AI giants that haven’t contributed to WordPress.
Commenters brought the spice. One recoiled at bios reading like “Sponsored by X Corp,” calling it “terrifying.” Another shrugged, “Matt’s goofy—but right this time.” A third asked the million‑dollar question: why not just make Akismet register itself like any other plugin? Elsewhere, confusion reigned—“What even is a connector?”—and the vibe turned reality TV: downvotes flying, “What’s he done this time?” energy everywhere.
Key Points
- •Matt Mullenweg directed core committers to register Akismet as a default connector in WordPress 7.0, overruling a revert.
- •Trac ticket #65012 was opened April 1 by Jorge Costa and committed 36 minutes later to add Akismet to the Connectors screen.
- •Peter Wilson filed a same-day revert arguing Akismet should self-register via the plugin API and warning about duplicate entries.
- •Several committers criticized the process and timing during the release candidate period and called for inclusion guidelines.
- •Despite a revert committed April 5, Mullenweg criticized the process publicly and reaffirmed proceeding with Akismet’s inclusion.