Wikimedia Fires Former CTO, Disbands 6-Person Tech Team Amid Union-Busting Claims
Updated
Updated · GIGAZINE（ギガジン） · May 27
Wikimedia Fires Former CTO, Disbands 6-Person Tech Team Amid Union-Busting Claims
1 articles · Updated · GIGAZINE（ギガジン） · May 27
Brooke Wibber, Wikimedia’s former CTO and an early MediaWiki lead, was fired in mid-May, and the foundation dissolved its Community Technical Team a week later, eliminating five engineers and one manager.
Jake Orlowitz and other critics say the moves targeted union organizers: Wibber and several team members were involved in a labor drive, and Wibber used his dismissal message to urge employees to join unionization efforts.
The disbanded team was the main channel for turning volunteer editors’ Community Wishlist requests into product work, making it one of the few areas where the editing community effectively directed development priorities.
Wikipedia editors have opened a solidarity page and petition for the union, while critics say the episode tests Wikimedia’s long-standing claim that it operates differently from large Silicon Valley tech companies.
Could a volunteer editor strike cripple Wikipedia after its key tech team was fired?
Is Wikipedia's operator abandoning its community ethos for Silicon Valley tactics?
Why was Wikipedia's first employee fired after he started organizing a union?