In an unforeseen development, Women Who Code has announced its closure, effective April 18, 2024, citing financial difficulties. The move comes after the organization posted a loss of $190,822 in 2022.
Women Who Code
Established in 2011 by a group of engineers in San Francisco, Women Who Code became a registered 501(c)3 non-profit in California in 2013. The organization was dedicated to creating an inclusive environment for women and non-binary individuals in the technology sector. Over its years of operation, Women Who Code achieved notable success in fostering diversity and supporting women in tech.
Spanning 145 countries, Women Who Code boasted a network of over 1,000 volunteers leading local and digital communities. The organization hosted over 20,000 community-led events, awarded over $3.5 million in scholarships, distributed over $2.5 million in conference tickets, and shared over 14,000 job opportunities with its community.
Women Who Code has worked with the WordPress community on multiple occasions. Some WordPress meetups had collaborated with the local branches of Women Who Code to great success.
The Future
In a message to its leadership, Women Who Code confirmed it would halt all program services and cancel all planned events. All tickets for the WWCode CONNECT 2024 developer conference will be refunded.
The organization’s closure represents a significant loss for the tech community. Social media reactions reflect widespread shock and disappointment at this unexpected news. The abruptness of the news has amplified the reaction, particularly since the organization had tweeted about the upcoming WWCode CONNECT 2024 conference just before disclosing its plans to shut down.