The Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group (WHATWG) is a group of people who work on improving HTML and related web technologies. It was started in 2004 by Apple, Mozilla, and Opera, some of the big Web browser companies. WHATWG undertakes maintenance for the important web standards like HTML and the Document Object Model (DOM). The main members of WHATWG are Apple, Mozilla, Google, and Microsoft. Members of the WHATWG community work to ensure that these standards are well implemented.
If necessary, controversies are resolved by the Steering Group with members appointed from the organizations that develop browser engines, as a backstop to ensure the editor's judgment aligns with what they will implement.