Unlock peak WordPress performance with Kinsta! Hosting WordPress has never been easier. Unbeatable combination of speed, security and support. Fast, free and easy migrations. <a href="https://kinsta.com/?utm_source=therepository&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=newsletter">Get your first month free.</a>
Happy weekend! It's January 24 and we're covering GoDaddy's big donation, Post Status's new nonprofit status, Woo's new leadership, PressConf's first speaker announcements, and more.

First time reading? Sign up. Got a tip-off? Get in touch.

Sponsorships available: We have 5 community sponsorship slots available for companies interested in supporting our independent reporting. Find out more on our Sponsors page.
THIS WEEK'S HEADLINES

1. GoDaddy Pledges $520k to The WPCC


"Anyone want some good #WordPress news? Cuz @thewpcc and I have some," posted Sé Reed, President of The WP Community Collective, linking to the news that GoDaddy has donated $520,000 to help the nonprofit fund contributions to the WordPress ecosystem.

Read the full story: GoDaddy Announces $520,000 Donation to The WP Community Collective

"Pretty big! GoDaddy just invested a half-million dollars in the WordPress community through a donation to The WP Community Collective, an initiative focused on funding and empowering WordPress contributors," posted The WP Minute's Matt Medeiros.

Reed told The Repository that the significant injection in funds would allow The WPCC to expand its successful fellowship program. Last year, the program funded Alex Stine's contributions to the WordPress Accessibility team.

"I've just contributed to The WP Community Collective. Consider supporting them too — every little helps!" posted Simon Harper of SRH Design.

2. Joost de Valk and Marieke van de Rakt Buy Post Status


Post Status is set to become a Dutch nonprofit. Yoast founders Joost de Valk and Marieke van de Rakt announced this week that they've acquired the popular business community for WordPress professionals.

Read the full story: Joost de Valk and Marieke van de Rakt Announce Nonprofit Plans After Acquiring Post Status

Founded in 2013 by Brian Krogsgard, Post Status has evolved from a link-sharing blog to an active community with over 1,700 members in Slack, a weekly newsletter, and a job board. It's now known as a place where executives and developers mix and where partnerships and business deals happen in private messages.

Simon Kraft released a quick interview with de Valk on his KrautPress podcast shortly after the news went live.

"I remember Post Status' visionary era with @Krogsgard, the shepherding under @LindseyMillerWP & @corymiller303, and look forward to its future as a safe place to gather and talk shop," posted Carrie Dils, a consultant and LinkedIn Learning instructor.

Miriam Schwab, Elementor's Head of WordPress Relations, posted, "This is such great news ๐ŸŽ‰ Post Status has been an integral hub of WordPress community engagement and communication for years, and many of us depend on it for news, learnings, support and real conversations with friends and colleagues. I'm excited that this community is being taken to the next level and will continue to bring tremendous value to us all ๐Ÿ‘โค๏ธ"

Barn2 founder and CEO Katie Keith added, "It's the perfect structure for future-proofing such an important community asset. I hope this sets a precedent for safeguarding other community assets like wordpress.org ๐Ÿคž"

3. WooCommerce Doubling Down on Quality and Innovation Under New Leadership


There's a lot going on at Automattic-owned WooCommerce. "I'm honored to step into the role of leading @WooCommerce and to continue building upon our strong vision and success," posted long-time Engineering Director Beau Lebens, who has stepped into a new role as the eCommerce platform's Artistic Director and Product Lead.

In an announcement on the Woo Developer Blog, Lebens reiterated that in 2025, the Woo team is doubling down on product quality and modernizing WooCommerce, noting that the platform now powers 9% of all websites.

James Kemp, who took on the Core Product Manager role in November, and Engineering Director Darren Ethier further unpack what's happening at Woo on the Do the Woo podcast. They discuss plans to support developers and agencies with improved tools, workflows, and documentation alongside the shift from PHP-based templates to block-based architecture. They also highlight the need for a better onboarding experience for both builders and merchants and Woo's commitment to building in public.

Meanwhile, WooCommerce 9.6 was released this week, bringing brands into core, improvements to the produce summary block, and several API updates. WooCommerce 9.7 will soon follow on February 24, featuring a modernized payments settings experience, enhanced shipping method display, faster block editor performance, a better Add to Cart options block, and smarter store notice handling.

4. PressConf Announces First Speakers, Including WordPress Executive Director


With PressConf just three months away, organizers are starting to announce who'll be speaking at the highly-anticipated spiritual successor to PressNomics.

WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard and Matías Ventura, the lead architect for the Gutenberg project, will be joining the business conference for a fireside chat. Sally Strebel, co-founder of Pagely and PressNomics, and Remkus de Vries, owner of Truer Than North and Scanfully, will also take to the PressConf stage to share their business insights.

"This is what a first-in-class, independent conference does. It brings first-in-class speakers," posted Matt Cromwell, StellarWP's Senior Director of Customer Experience. "Nice work @Press__Conf team! ๐ŸŽ‰ And thank you Mary and @matias_ventura for speaking!"

PressConf organizer Raquel Manriquez told The Repository that new speakers would be announced every day for the next two weeks, with more exciting names still to come.

For more on PressConf and what it's all about: PressConf to Reunite WordPress Business Community in Arizona

Tickets for PressConf, from April 23-26 in Tempe, Arizona, are still available at pressconf.events.

The Repository is a proud media partner of PressConf.

5. WP Engine Challenges Automattic's Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit


WP Engine has opposed Automattic's latest motion to dismiss the hosting company's lawsuit, arguing that its claims of trademark abuse, market power, antitrust violations, and extortion are backed by substantial evidence.

In court filings submitted earlier this week, WP Engine reiterates its allegations that Automattic and CEO Matt Mullenweg engaged in a "nuclear war" against the hosting competitor, including deceiving the market through false promises, threatening WP Engine and its customers, attempting extortion, disparaging WP Engine and interfering with its business and contracts, and hijacking the ACF plugin.

WP Engine also notes that Automattic hasn't challenged four of the company's claims involving requests for a declaratory judgment for trademark non-infringement and non-dilution, and Lanham Act claims against Mullenweg for unfair competition and
false advertising.

The hosting company has also opposed Automattic and Mullenweg's request for judicial notice of several websites and video recordings, including pages from wpengine.com and Mullenweg's WordCamp US 2024 Q&A, arguing that the court should only acknowledge their existence and not the truth of their contents, and that they violate judicial notice rules.

Automattic, meanwhile, has filed to dismiss the case, arguing that WP Engine's claims are unfounded and that its actions fall within the bounds of fair competition.

A hearing on the motion to dismiss is scheduled for June 5, 2025.

6. WordPress Foundation's Founding Documents Spark Debate Over Governance and Early Intentions


A reddit and X user, sneakytits85, caused a stir on social media this week when they shared the WordPress Foundation's founding documents. The documents, freely available to download from California's Office of the Attorney General, reveal that when the foundation was created, the intention was for it to manage the WordPress open-source code — effectively giving the foundation control over wordpress.org.

A statement outlining the foundation's activities reads: "Volunteer developers identify areas of the software code that can be improved and create revisions. These revisions are then submitted to a central repository which is managed by the WordPress Foundation. The Foundation then reviews all revision submissions for quality control. Revisions are then approved and integrated into the WordPress open source code."

This revelation, although not new, has raised questions about why this plan never materialized and why WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg chose to continue running wordpress.org himself. According to Milestones: The Story of WordPress, the foundation's applications for nonprofit status were initially denied by the IRS for several years. It's possible that as WordPress evolved, Automattic grew, ideas were tried and failed, and plans had changed by the time the foundation launched in 2010. In a 2014 interview with author Siobhan McKeown for Milestones, Mullenweg talks about his intentions for the foundation.

Also raising eyebrows this week, a federal tax exemption form among the founding documents listed wordpress.org as the foundation's website. While some questioned why Mullenweg didn't enter the foundation's current website, wordpressfoundation.org, it's important to note that the site didn't exist yet – the document was signed on July 8, 2008, 18 months before wordpressfoundation.org officially went live.

The documents provide an intriguing glimpse into the early intentions for the foundation. While some in the community view the documents as a historical footnote, others see them as an opportunity to reexamine unanswered questions about WordPress governance.

๐Ÿ“ฃ The Repository is made possible thanks to our sponsors

Patchstack: As the #1 WordPress vulnerability processor, Patchstack protects websites against vulnerable plugins. They also partner with hundreds of plugins and hosting providers to make the ecosystem safer. Get started today.

20i: High-performance WordPress Hosting from 20i. Integrated staging, cloning, backups, CDN and WP Manager — no bloaty plugins required. Upgrade your WordPress hosting. Unleash your websites.

BigScoots: Don't compromise on service. Expect more. With 24/7/365 live experts, BigScoots redefines Managed WordPress Hosting service levels for clients, partners, and agencies. Learn more.

WP Buffs: Let our 24/7 team take the pressure off of WordPress management. Start your WordPress care plan today and get 25% off your first month using code REPOSITORY at checkout.

Omnisend: Switch to better email & SMS marketing with Omnisend. Get the top-rated email marketing platform to convert & keep more customers. Get started now.
Support independent journalism and promote your brand here.
IN OTHER NEWS
→ Quick Hits
  • The new Trump administration is continuing to use WordPress to power whitehouse.gov. On X, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg said he believed the site was being hosted by WordPress VIP, a FedRAMP-certified hosting provider "with perfect uptime and security." (X) | Meanwhile, 10up founder Jake Goldman paid tribute to the agencies and teams that collaborated on the Biden administration's iteration of whitehouse.gov, noting that it would "always be one of the projects I was most proud to be a part of." (LinkedIn)
  • Former BuddyPress lead developer Mathieu Viet has forked WordPress and called it "Retraceur." In a post criticizing Matt Mullenweg, Viet declares his "révolution indépendante" against the WordPress co-founder, claiming Mullenweg has been using the WordPress community as a marketing tool to encourage adoption, similar to the "good old Tupperware sales method." While Viet doesn't anticipate that anyone else will use his fork, he has created and pledged to a code of conduct (imathi.eu)
→ WordPress Project
  • WordPress 6.7.2 is scheduled for release on February 11 to fix bugs (Make WordPress Core)
  • The WordPress Community Team has welcomed new reps Pooja Derashri, Aditya Kane, and Kasirye Arthur, with existing rep Shusei Toda staying on for a second year (Make WordPress Community)
  • Tammie Lister, the design lead for WordPress 6.8, is prioritizing triaging old tickets, unblocking design issues, and refining small "paper cuts" to enhance user experience. Reflecting on Gutenberg's 200th release, Lister, a member of the original launch team notes how far the plugin has come since the early days of "pushing pancakes." (Gutenberg Changelog) | Lister also reflects on the evolution of themes, which she believes will evolve into more flexible and lightweight packages, potentially reduced to just a theme.json file that can pull in patterns and design elements (WP Tavern)
  • The WordPress Photo Directory has surpassed 20,000 CC0 licensed photos (WP-Content)
→ WordPress Community
  • Ian Stewart, WordPress.com's Artistic Director and Product Lead, describes Studio, the platform's local development app, as "literally one of the coolest WordPress things I have ever used." He highlights Studio's versatility as a powerful learning tool, allowing developers to experiment, educators to teach, and kids to learn WordPress in a safe and controlled environment (Post Status)
  • Omnisend was omnipresent at WordCamps last year after CEO Rytis Lauris attended WordCamp US 2023 and was inspired by the community, prompting the company to deepen its investment in WordPress. "You may have seen us all over the place last year because we wanted to be there… Internally, everyone is fighting to go to the next WordCamp because we really love it," said Bernard Meyer, Omnisend's Senior Director of Communications and Creative (Post Status)
  • Kévin Mosbahi, one of Patchstack's top researchers with 631 valid reports, says he enjoys uncovering unauthenticated vulnerabilities — and that he'd find fewer problems if developers only implemented security properly in their plugins (Patchstack)
  • Do the Woo's Bob Dunn and Birgit Pauli-Haack from The Gutenberg Times reflect on the 7th anniversaries of their projects, the future of Gutenberg, and their podcasting journeys (Do the Woo)
→ Business & Enterprise

    • The State of Enterprise WordPress 2024 report was released this week, bringing together responses from over 100 enterprise brands, including big names like Amnesty International, The Times, and Princeton University. Among the findings, more than 9 in 10 highlighted WordPress's functionality as a standout factor for choosing it over other platforms, almost three-quarters rated their return on investment in WordPress as excellent or good, and 75% have used WordPress for over five years. The findings also revealed that 61% of enterprise organizations contribute to the WordPress project, up from 38% in 2023 (soewp.com)
    • Hostinger is significantly scaling its team with 200 open roles, including a new Head of WordPress Marketing (Hostinger)
    • In 2024, YITH focused on improving its WooCommerce plugins, updating 40 and giving 10 major updates in performance, features, and design. The Newfold Digital-owned company's Wishlist plugin maintained its position as the most used wishlist plugin for WooCommerce, with nearly 800,000 active installations (YITH)
    → Plugins, Products & Themes
    • WordPress.com has ditched its Calypso interface in favor of the standard wp-admin interface. The changes come a year after WordPress.com announced plans to make the change. In 2016, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg pushed Calypso as the future of WordPress's interface during his State of the Word address (WordPress.com)
    • Cloudways has launched Cloudways Copilot, a new suite of AI-powered tools designed to make the company's managed hosting platform easier to use. AI-Powered Insights are now available in public preview, with automated developer workflows and one-click automated resolution coming soon (Cloudways)
    • W3 Total Cache users are being urged to update to the latest version following the disclosure of a high-severity vulnerability with the potential to expose metadata from internal services and cloud apps (Bleeping Computer)
    → Events & Awards
    • Voces que Inspiran: Women's Day Latam will be held virtually on March 1 to celebrate women in tech in Latin America (WordCamp Central)
    • Elementor's Miriam Schwab and A2 Hosting's Aaron Campbell are the latest speakers announced for WordCamp Asia next month in Manila, Philippines (WordCamp Asia)
    • WordCamp Europe 2025's call for speakers closes on January 31 (WordCamp Europe)
    MEANWHILE...
    ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ WordPress stands ready to serve the Trump administration (X)

    โš™๏ธ OG premium themes pioneer Brian Gardner is WP Engine's new Head of Community (LinkedIn)

    ๐Ÿ’ Matt Mullenweg has a WordPress ring because he's "married to the game" (ma.tt)

    ๐Ÿ“ข Morten Rand-Hendriksen argues that technology is inherently political (mor10.com)

    ๐Ÿค– Coding newbie Matt Medeiros is using Cursor, an AI coding tool, to create web apps (The WP Minute)

    ๐Ÿ“ Lawrence Ladomery wants advanced publishing workflows built into WordPress core (WPBakery)

    ๐Ÿค๐Ÿผ Stefana Zariฤ‡ says the secret sauce to growing WordPress businesses is partnerships (Freemius)