PHP Foundation 'under-funded' with one full-time staff member, director says

Commenters said the PHP Foundation’s limited budget reflects the difficulty of paying maintainers: one pointed to a declining balance and argued that many small donations cannot replace substantial annual sponsorships from companies that rely on PHP. Others proposed government grants, donated services, or a lasting investment fund. Some argued that open-source software lets corporations benefit from essential infrastructure without paying for its upkeep; others noted that people do contribute voluntarily, and that Automattic already gives the Foundation roughly $250,000 a year. One commenter questioned whether the Foundation’s full-time director was positioned to do the technical work needed to patch PHP.

The broader divide concerned how open-source projects should secure support. Some favored dual licensing or other ways to charge businesses, while another objected to framing users as morally obliged to fund software whose success depended on being free. Several commenters urged more corporate contributions, and some blamed big tech’s funding patterns for concentrating control over software infrastructure. Views also split on PHP’s future: critics called it a legacy language that could be phased out, while others stressed its use in major services, government systems, WordPress, and commercial applications, arguing that migration would be disruptive and that every technology faces security flaws. Several defended modern PHP and said its widespread, often invisible use makes it more important to maintain than its reputation suggests.