{
  "id": 16262927,
  "title": "PHP Foundation ‘under-funded’ with one full-time staff member, director says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/php-foundation-under-funded-with-one-full-time-staff-member-director",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T02:15:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/php-foundation-under-funded-with-one-full-time-staff-member-director-says-10934543/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The PHP Foundation, which supports the 30-year-old open-source programming language powering up to 70% of global websites, is grappling with serious funding issues despite its critical role in internet security. Executive Director Elizabeth Barron revealed that the foundation currently employs only one full-time staff member, with the remaining work carried out by 14 part-time contractors. The foundation relies solely on donations and grants for funding, and the board members are unpaid volunteers. Barron emphasized that the foundation operates with a meager budget, highlighting the critical need for increased financial support. The recent discovery of two significant security flaws in PHP has underscored the foundation's importance, prompting a global effort to safeguard websites from potential hacks. While the foundation has not received any indications of hackers exploiting these vulnerabilities before their disclosure, it has worked closely with researchers and companies like OpenAI, Wiz, and Calif to investigate and patch the issues. Barron noted that recent AI advancements have both aided researchers in identifying these flaws and increased the workload for PHP maintainers. Despite this, the number of contributors has not doubled, presenting a challenge for the foundation. As the reliance on PHP continues to grow, it becomes increasingly clear that the PHP Foundation is severely under-funded, placing the future of this vital programming language at risk.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "PHP Foundation employs only one full-time staff member.",
    "Foundation relies on donations and grants, no board pay.",
    "Security flaws highlight urgent need for increased funding."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The reliance on a skeleton crew to maintain a language powering most of the web creates a precarious security landscape for the global internet infrastructure.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "PHP Foundation 'under-funded' with one full-time staff member, director says",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/php-foundation-under-funded-with-one-full-time-staff-member-director",
        "published": "2026-10-23T21:57:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}