(removed wikimediaannounce-l from the distribution) Hi Selena,
Thank you for engaging at https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Community_Wishlist#c-SDeckelmann-WMF-20260522160700-Update_from_Selena. I will understand if there are no further updates until next week. Indeed, I highly encourage people to take occasional time for their personal needs ( burnout <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burnout_(disambiguation)> can be a problem), and also for US-based staff for the Memorial Day holiday <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day>. When you return next week, I'd appreciate you commenting further on concerns being raised regarding the organizational restructuring and the Community Wishlist <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Wishlist> (I understand trying to improve the Wishlist process, although disbanding the team and displacing its members before there's consensus on what to do next might have been the wrong order of operations), but also a troubling cluster of issues in P&T this year. 1. 10 February 2026: "etherpad.wikimedia.org cleanup: April 30, Save your pads!": https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/thread/CMYID3FRNL7OKUNEH3O3OTGT6UQSQN3X/ 2. 5 March 2026: "March 2026 User Script Incident": https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Product_and_Technology/Product_Safety_and_Integrity/March_2026_User_Script_Incident 3. 30 March 2026: "Mass-abandonment of many 2+-year-old Gerrit patches to mediawiki/core": https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/thread/56NSY3OYOIBKCBRLLL3I2V3OYSVZTTQF/ 4. Concerns being expressed regarding this reorganization. Each of these events in isolation is concerning. The clustering of them in the space of a few months makes me wonder if there are deeper issues which should be addressed by the C-suite <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation/Executive_and_Leadership_teams>. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on that, perhaps in a separate thread. Also, if you think it would help, I'm willing to schedule a Wikimedia Café <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Caf%C3%A9> session to for a public live discussion of any or all of the above. Thank you, Pine🌲 On Sat, May 23, 2026 at 7:24 AM James Heilman via Wikimedia-l < [email protected]> wrote: > One issue with trying to move community tech work outside the foundation > is how do we get improvements approved by those within the foundation? We > for example have consensus for MP4 upload and conversion on Commons via the > upload wizard. But are waiting now on the WMF, maybe legal team. > > J > > > Sent from Gmail Mobile > > On Sat, May 23, 2026 at 03:57 Gnangarra via Wikimedia-l < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> What I find troubling is that the Community Tech caught a lot of tasks >> that have fallen through the gaps between teams or when teams have been >> remodelled and staff move to new areas. >> >> What is most troubling is that the team being laid off and told to apply >> for new positions within the new hiring framework that mean some of these >> will be ineligible under the current hiring policies. When those change >> were announced it was said that existing employees would not be affect yet >> here we are only a couple of months past that and it to being applied to >> existing employees. >> >> While 10,000's of are just volunteers every staff loss is painful >> especially highly experienced technical staff because we know that it the >> front end and volunteers who sufffer from these changes. If the new CEO >> wants to rattle employee cages dont do it to the detriment on the community >> thats make these project viable. >> >> On Sat, 23 May 2026 at 03:14, Kimmo Virtanen via Wikimedia-l < >> [email protected]> wrote: >> >>> > Many of you have likely already seen the Wikimedia Foundation's >>> announcement that the Community Tech team is being dissolved and that five >>> engineers and one manager are losing their roles as part of a restructuring >>> of the Community Wishlist process. >>> >>> Based on previous years' experience, WMF software development teams >>> focus on specific tasks and generally avoid tasks outside their immediate >>> focus. This means for examplke that extensions such as Maps and Upload >>> Wizard largely lost support because the responsible team was dissolved. The >>> Community Tech team also handled tasks that did not specifically fall under >>> any other team's responsibility. (such as >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Wishlist but not only that, >>> for example, the Upload Wizard was afaik picked up by community tech) >>> >>> In any case I would have liked to see that number of Community Tech >>> people would have increase instead of decrease. >>> >>> Br, >>> -- Kimmo Virtanen, Zache >>> >>> On Fri, May 22, 2026 at 9:15 PM Jaluj Wikipedista via All-affiliates < >>> [email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> I understand the anguish of those who will lose a paid job but I don't >>>> see why the volunteers who have never been paid for their work and are the >>>> ones who build wikipedia and sister projects should be bothered that >>>> Community Tech will become a cross-team program rather than a dedicated >>>> team. >>>> >>>> El vie, 22 may 2026 a las 14:04, James Heilman via All-affiliates (< >>>> [email protected]>) escribió: >>>> >>>>> I always thought we should double the community tech team. One for >>>>> Wikipedia and one for the sister projects. >>>>> >>>>> I guess the question is should the community try to take on this work? >>>>> With movement funds of course. >>>>> >>>>> J >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Sent from Gmail Mobile >>>>> >>>>> On Thu, May 21, 2026 at 22:30 Nemoralis via All-affiliates < >>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Fellow Wikimedians, >>>>>> >>>>>> Many of you have likely already seen the Wikimedia Foundation's >>>>>> announcement that the Community Tech team is being dissolved and that >>>>>> five >>>>>> engineers and one manager are losing their roles as part of a >>>>>> restructuring >>>>>> of the Community Wishlist process. >>>>>> >>>>>> The official explanation is that Community Tech will become a >>>>>> cross-team "program" rather than a dedicated team, and that this model >>>>>> will >>>>>> supposedly allow more teams to work on community wishes. However, many >>>>>> editors, functionaries, and technical contributors across Wikimedia >>>>>> projects have raised serious concerns about both the substance and timing >>>>>> of this decision. >>>>>> >>>>>> Several issues are driving alarm within the community: >>>>>> >>>>>> • The Community Tech team was one of the few WMF engineering groups >>>>>> explicitly focused on community-requested technical work. >>>>>> • The engineers affected include highly experienced contributors with >>>>>> deep institutional and community knowledge, including former stewards and >>>>>> longtime technical volunteers. >>>>>> • WMF leadership has stated that this is not a budget reduction, >>>>>> which raises the question of why layoffs were necessary at all instead of >>>>>> reassignment. >>>>>> • The restructuring was announced amid ongoing organizing efforts >>>>>> connected to Wiki Workers United (WWU), leading many contributors to fear >>>>>> retaliation or union-busting behavior, regardless of WMF denials. >>>>>> • There is currently little concrete information about >>>>>> accountability, staffing, or ownership under the new “program” structure. >>>>>> >>>>>> This is no longer being viewed by many contributors as merely an >>>>>> internal staffing change. It is increasingly seen as part of a broader >>>>>> pattern of disconnect between WMF leadership and the volunteer >>>>>> communities >>>>>> that build and maintain Wikimedia projects. >>>>>> >>>>>> In response, editors have begun organizing solidarity actions and a >>>>>> strike mandate petition expressing willingness to support Wiki Workers >>>>>> United if collective action becomes necessary. >>>>>> >>>>>> The petition is not itself a strike. It is a statement that >>>>>> contributors are prepared to stand in solidarity with Wikimedia workers >>>>>> and >>>>>> defend community accountability if requested. >>>>>> >>>>>> You can read the ongoing discussions here: >>>>>> >>>>>> - >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Community_Wishlist#May_20_update >>>>>> - >>>>>> >>>>>> https://w.wiki/Nt5V >>>>>> >>>>>> If you are concerned about: >>>>>> >>>>>> - >>>>>> >>>>>> the future of community-driven technical development, >>>>>> - >>>>>> >>>>>> the treatment of Wikimedia staff, >>>>>> - >>>>>> >>>>>> possible anti-union retaliation, >>>>>> - >>>>>> >>>>>> or the growing disconnect between WMF leadership and the editing >>>>>> community, >>>>>> >>>>>> please consider joining the discussion, spreading awareness, and >>>>>> signing the solidarity petition. >>>>>> >>>>>> Take action: https://wikiworkersunited.org/take-action-community/ >>>>>> Sign the petition: https://w.wiki/Nt5n >>>>>> >>>>>> In solidarity, >>>>>> Nemoralis >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> All-affiliates mailing list -- [email protected] >>>>>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>>>>> [email protected] >>>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> All-affiliates mailing list -- [email protected] >>>>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>>>> [email protected] >>>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> All-affiliates mailing list -- [email protected] >>>> To unsubscribe send an email to >>>> [email protected] >>>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines >>> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >>> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >>> Public archives at >>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/VIGJ4DD5NTO5CWF2ZJNTEK5KTYPSZIDV/ >>> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] >> >> >> >> -- >> Boodarwun >> Gnangarra >> 'ngany dabakarn koorliny arn boodjera dardon nlangan Nyungar koortabodjar' >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines >> at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and >> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l >> Public archives at >> https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/JWUBZBE34NRR73U7VK7AD2QZ22DDET7Y/ >> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected] > > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list -- [email protected], guidelines > at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l > Public archives at > https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/[email protected]/message/NTIEESDW3L7MIACDONMWAF2JB6LG7YQI/ > To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
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