Jason Johnston
Senior Code Wrangler at Automattic
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Summary
🤩
Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolJason Johnston is a senior frontend engineer and "code wrangler" with 11+ years of professional experience and a 15+-year practical history building modern web applications, developer tools, and performance-oriented UIs. At Automattic he’s shaped large-scale frontend systems for WordPress.com, Jetpack, and the Gutenberg mobile editor—contributing notable React/React Native refactors that improved block editing and inserter UX for millions of users. He specializes in developer experience, visual code editing, and performance-driven architecture, bridging design and engineering with a focus on accessibility and clarity. Jason also brings backend and mobile competence (PHP, Ruby/Rails, Go, Android integrations) so he can move features end-to-end rather than hand them off. His background in cybernetics and hands-on making—from glass-blown ornaments to DIY electronics and fabrication—informs a pragmatic, craft-oriented approach to tooling and product design. He’s currently exploring AI-powered interfaces and real-time collaboration, aiming to make developer workflows faster, more creative, and more joyful.
11 years of coding experience
7 years of employment as a software developer
Industrial Design - Contemporary Craft, Industrial Design - Contemporary Craft at College for Creative StudiesBachelor of Science, Cybernetics - computer systems concentration, Bachelor of Science, Cybernetics - computer systems concentration at University of California, Los Angeles
Stackoverflow
2,468reputation
939kreached
9answers
3questions
command-prompt
top-5%
Github Skills (29)
javascript10
mobile-development10
react-native10
plugin-development10
wordpress10
java10
sc10
javas10
php10
scs10
front-end-development10
android-app10
android10
gutenberg10
iphone-app10
Programming languages (10)
Github contributions (5)
WordPress/gutenberg
Feb 2021 - May 2022
The Block Editor project for WordPress and beyond. Plugin is available from the official repository.
Role in this project:
Front-end Developer
Front-end DeveloperContributions:167 reviews, 59 commits, 106 PRs in 1 year 2 months
Contributions summary:Jason primarily contributed to the development of the mobile block editor for the Gutenberg project. Their work focused on refactoring components to use functional components, utilizing React hooks such as `useSelect` and `useDispatch`. They implemented features such as block search, updated styling, and improved the overall user interface for the inserter menu, contributing to the React Native implementation within the WordPress ecosystem. Their changes also involved the modification of styling using scss and platform specific styling.
block-editorwordpressgutenbergwordpress-pluginbeyond
Automattic/jetpack
Sep 2017 - Jan 2023
Security, performance, marketing, and design tools — Jetpack is made by WordPress experts to make WP sites safer and faster, and help you grow your traffic.
Role in this project:Back-end Developer
Back-end DeveloperContributions:90 reviews, 10 commits, 58 PRs in 5 years 4 months
Contributions summary:Jason primarily focused on refactoring and maintaining existing code within the Jetpack plugin. They removed obsolete features, such as the "omnisearch" functionality, and updated core components. Significant contributions included modifications to the `modules/masterbar/masterbar.php` file and syncing changes related to Likes for WordPress.com integration. They also addressed issues related to CSS enqueueing and React Native entry points.
reactexpertswordpressphpsecurity
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