Newsletter Archive

2025

April 11, 2025 Issue #254 – WordPress Scales Back to One Major Release in 2025
April 4, 2025 Issue #253 – Automattic Cuts 16% of Workforce in Latest Round of Layoffs Amid Legal and Internal Turmoil
March 28, 2025 Issue #252 – Remkus de Vries proposes dual-track Contributor Day model inspired by CloudFest Hackathon
March 21, 2025 Issue #251 – Visua11y wins CloudFest Hackathon with breakthrough accessibility plugin
March 14, 2025 Issue #250 – Newfold Digital slashes WordPress contributions to 20 hours per week
March 7, 2025 Issue #249 – Who leads WordPress businesses? The data confirms it's (still) not women
February 28, 2025 Issue #248 – Automattic hit with class action over WP Engine dispute
February 21, 2025 Issue #247 – WordPress sentiment defies X drama, remains strong across platforms
February 14, 2025 Issue #246 – Joost de Valk banned from WordCamp Asia as Matt Mullenweg brands him "persona non grata"
February 7, 2025 Issue #245 – Woo unveils brand refresh
January 31, 2025 Issue #244 – Gibson Dunn takes over Automattic's legal defense
January 24, 2025 Issue #243 – GoDaddy pledges $520k to The WPCC
January 18, 2025 Issue #242 – FTC takes action against GoDaddy for alleged lax data security
January 11, 2025 Issue #241 – Matt Mullenweg pushes back on Joost de Valk's bold plan for WordPress leadership

2024

December 20, 2024 Issue #240 – Joost de Valk Calls for End to Matt Mullenweg's BDFL Leadership of WordPress
December 13, 2024 Issue #239 – WordPress contributors and community leaders call for governance reform in rare open letter
December 6, 2024 Issue #238 – Jessica Lyschik taking on Matt Mullenweg in live WordPress speed build showdown
November 29, 2024 Issue #237 – Judge signals support for WP Engine injunction
November 22, 2024 Issue #236 – PressNomics legacy lives on with the launch of PressConf
November 15, 2024 Issue #235 – WP Engine expands legal fight against Automattic and Matt Mullenweg with antitrust claims
November 8, 2024 Issue #234 – Core contributors voice concerns over Mullenweg's control and "culture of fear" in WordPress community
November 1, 2024 Issue #233 – Automattic and Mullenweg move to dismiss majority of WP Engine's claims in lawsuit
October 25, 2024 Issue #232 – WP Engine files injunction to halt Mullenweg's attacks and regain access to WordPress.org, community reacts
October 18, 2024 Issue #231 – Automattic under fire: Leaks, ultimatums, and drama continue to shake WordPress
October 11, 2024 Issue #230 – WordPress.org escalates WP Engine conflict with login checkbox requirement
October 5, 2024 Issue #229 – WP Engine sues Automattic and Matt Mullenweg, alleging abuse of power and extortion
October 1, 2024 Issue #228 – Mullenweg threatens corporate takeover of WP Engine
August 30, 2024 Issue #227 – Is a marketing consortium the solution to WordPress's stagnating market share?
August 23, 2024 Issue #226 – WordPress YouTube channel gets new leadership with Jamie Marsland
August 16, 2024 Issue #225 – First glimpse of Twenty Twenty-Five revealed
August 9, 2024 Issue #224 – WordCamps to get advertising funding under proposed changes
August 2, 2024 Issue #223 – Automattic partners with Perplexity to pay users for AI search results
July 26, 2024 Issue #222 – WPTuts YouTuber says Gutenberg's UI/UX is a "disaster" in viral video
July 19, 2024 Issue #221 – WordPress 6.6 "one of the most immediately impactful updates of the last half decade"
July 12, 2024 Issue #220 – Ollie Pro launches to rave reviews, elevates WordPress design and onboarding experience
July 5, 2024 Issue #219 – Jamie Marsland uncovers Wix's strategic plan to grow market share
June 28, 2024 Issue #218 – Supply-chain attack compromises five WordPress.org plugins
June 22, 2024 Issue #217 – WP Includes reveals stark gender gap in WordPress business leadership roles
June 16, 2024 Issue #216 – Global community gathers for WordCamp Europe 2024 in Torino, Basel to host in 2025
June 7, 2024 Issue #215 – WordCamp Europe 2024 embraces simplicity and diversity with record attendance expected
May 31, 2024 Issue #214 – Automattic celebrates victory for freedom of expression in Turkey after eight-year legal battle
May 25, 2024 Issue #213 – WordPress to restore plugin auto-redirects after "significant impacts" reported by popular plugins
May 17, 2024 Issue #212 – WordCamp Europe granted prestigious European Parliament patronage
May 10, 2024 Issue #211 – WordPress 6.5 release team expresses burnout and frustration over leadership and transparency issues
May 4, 2024 Issue #210 – Shutterstock snaps up Envato for $245 million
April 26, 2024 Issue #209 – Respected core contributor "gives up" on Gutenberg due to its "alien" code
April 19, 2024 Issue #208 – WP Includes launches survey to gauge gender equality in WordPress businesses
April 12, 2024 Issue #207 – Automattic buys Beeper, aligning with WordPress' open source ideals
April 6, 2024 Issue #206 – WordPress 6.5 'Regina' launches with Font Library and APIs after delay
March 22, 2024 Issue #205 – WordPress launches media corps to bolster independent marketing efforts
March 15, 2024 Issue #204 – WordPress 6.5 nears release: Second RC and Field Guide now available
March 11, 2024 Issue #203 – Next stop, Manila: WordCamp Asia 2024 wraps up
March 2, 2024 Issue #202 – Automattic in the spotlight after deals to sell user data to AI companies revealed
February 16, 2024 Issue #201 – Noel Tock: "Learn marketing deeply"
February 9, 2024 Issue #200 – Seven writers vying for two WP Tavern jobs

2023

December 15, 2023 Issue #199 – Matt Mullenweg delivers State of the Word 2023 live in Madrid, Spain
December 10, 2023 Issue #198 – Major PHP library PHPCS in dire need of financial support
December 1, 2023 Issue #197 – Plugin authors praise latest attempt at adding live previews to WordPress.org
November 24, 2023 Issue #196 – Sarah Gooding leaves WP Tavern, search begins for new WP Tavern writers
November 17, 2023 Issue #195 – Alex Stine commences WPCC Accessibility Fellowship
November 10, 2023 Issue #194 – WordPress 6.4 hailed as "one of the most important releases for WordPress"
November 3, 2023 Issue #193 – WooCommerce rebrands as Woo
October 27, 2023 Issue #192 – Automattic sets sights on unified messaging with $50 million Texts.com deal
October 20, 2023 Issue #191 – State of the Word to be live-streamed from Spain
October 6, 2023 Issue #190 – Ollie block theme now available at WordPress.org, drops game-changing onboarding features
September 29, 2023 Issue #189 – WordPress co-founder accused of Code of Conduct violation
September 22, 2023 Issue #188 – WordPress Plugins Review Team launches self-check plugin, announces new reviewers
September 15, 2023 Issue #187 – WordPress.com versus WordPress.org ranking battle sparks heated debate and personal attacks
September 8, 2023 Issue #186 – Sarah Gooding marks 10 years at WP Tavern
September 1, 2023 Issue #185 – WordPress.com launches unprecedented 100-Year Plan
August 25, 2023 Issue #184 – WordCamp US 2023 in full swing 🎉
August 18, 2023 Issue #183 – How WordCamp US 2023 has tackled DEIB and accessibility
August 11, 2023 Issue #182 – WordPress 6.3 "Lionel" is out and it's "a really big one"
August 4, 2023 Issue #181 – Open source CMS projects unite over proposed Cyber Resilience Act
July 28, 2023 Issue #180 – NASA launches WordPress-powered website
July 21, 2023 Issue #179 – Vox Media dumping its CMS, switching to WordPress
July 14, 2023 Issue #178 – Ambitious plans revealed for WordPress admin redesign as part of Gutenberg phase three
July 7, 2023 Issue #177 – WordCamp Dhaka (Bangladesh) canceled due to corporate influence and harassment
June 30, 2023 Issue #176 – WordPress 6.3 Beta 2 now available, on track for August 8 release
June 16, 2023 Issue #174 – Automattic commits €20,000 to fund Drupal Gutenberg editor
June 9, 2023 Issue #173 – WordCamp Europe 2023 is in full swing 💃🏼
June 2, 2023 Issue #172 – The #WP20 celebrations continue
May 26, 2023 Issue #171 – 20 years of WordPress 🥳
May 19, 2023 Issue #170 – WordCamp Europe global lead apologizes for Twitter outburst
May 12, 2023 Issue #169 – MasterWP and WordPress Foundation step up to support diversity at WordCamp US ✨
May 5, 2023 Issue #168 – WordCamp US tickets sell out, more available soon
April 28, 2023 Issue #167 – Joost de Valk leaving Yoast to 'get entrepreneurial juices flowing’
April 21, 2023 Issue #166 – Marieke van de Rakt leaving Yoast to "change the world for the better"
April 14, 2023 Issue #165 – Matt Mullenweg encourages WordPress community to leverage AI
April 6, 2023 We want to know what you really think
March 31, 2023 Issue #164 – WordPress 6.2 'Dolphy' is now available
March 24, 2023 Issue #163 – Debate over Awesome Motive's sales tactics heats up
March 17, 2023 Issue #162 – Long-time Plugin Review Team rep retiring
March 10, 2023 Issue #161 – Survey reveals WordPress pros' page builder preferences, revenue, and working capacity
March 3, 2023 Issue #160 – Contributors move quickly to resolve Openverse hotlinking concerns
February 24, 2023 Issue #159 – Tech layoffs shake up WordPress community, spark concern and support from the community
February 17, 2023 Issue #158 – WordCamp Asia is in full swing!
February 10, 2023 Issue #157 – GoDaddy cuts 530 jobs, 8% of global team
February 3, 2023 Issue #156 – WordPress Core Team tackling old Trac tickets in upcoming triage sessions
January 27, 2023 Issue #155 – Yoast challenges WordPress to prioritize admin redesign with new user-friendly UI
January 20, 2023 Issue #154 – WordPress Executive Director outlines 2023 goals for the WordPress project
January 13, 2023 Issue #153 – Decision Time for WordPress Performance Team: Unbundling the Performance Lab Plugin

2022

December 17, 2022 Issue #152 – State of the Word focuses on Gutenberg and new community tools
December 9, 2022 Issue #151 – WP Community Collective: A new nonprofit to fund WordPress contributors
December 2, 2022 Issue #150 – Meetup.com removes accessibility overlay, commits to working with WordPress community
November 25, 2022 Issue #149 – State of the Word will be livestreamed from NYC on December 15
November 18, 2022 Issue #148 – Matt Mullenweg and Tumblr troll Twitter with 'useless' checkmarks
November 11, 2022 Issue #147 – FSE rebranded as 'Site Editor'
November 4, 2022 Issue #146 – WordPress 6.1 "Misha" now available
October 29, 2022 Issue #145 – Gutenberg contributors redesigning Site Editor navigation to feel more like design tool
October 21, 2022 Issue #144 – Plugin charts removed because 'nobody was using them'
October 14, 2022 Issue #143 – Mystery mostly solved: Active install growth data removed after abuse of endpoint
October 7, 2022 Issue #142 – Plugin developers demand transparency following removal of Active Install Growth Data
September 30, 2022 Issue #141 – MasterWP gets hate mail after publishing racism article
September 16, 2022 Issue #140 – WordCamp US: 'genuine humanness' was 'nothing short of magical'
September 9, 2022 Issue #139 – WordCamp US kicks off! 🥳
September 3, 2022 Issue #138 – WP-Optimize controversy a lose-lose situation
August 26, 2022 Issue #137 – DigitalOcean acquires Cloudways
August 20, 2022 Issue #136 – New jazzy designs for WordPress.org get thumbs up from community
August 13, 2022 Issue #135 – Twenty Twenty-Three Theme Now in Development
August 5, 2022 Issue #134 – WebP Images Set to Become Default in WordPress 6.1
July 29, 2022 Issue #133 – WordPress Executive Director wants to rename Full-Site Editing
July 22, 2022 Issue #132 – WordPress economy discussion throws up "radically different calculations"
July 15, 2022 Issue #131 – Ellipsis launches WordPress Weather Report 🌩️
July 8, 2022 Issue #130 – WPBeginner turns 13
July 1, 2022 Issue #129 – Michelle Frechette calls out misogyny in WordPress
June 24, 2022 Issue #128 – Mullenweg: GoDaddy is an "existential threat" to WordPress
June 17, 2022 Issue #127 – Elementor sacks 15% of its workforce, cites impending recession
June 10, 2022 Issue #126 – Elementor acquires Strattic
June 3, 2022 Issue #125 – WP Engine acquires Delicious Brains' plugins
May 27, 2022 Issue #124 – Happy 19th birthday, WordPress!
May 20, 2022 Issue #123 – Countdown on to WordPress 6.0 release
May 13, 2022 Issue #122 – WordPress market share is shrinking, but does it matter?
May 6, 2022 Issue #121 – WordPress 6.0 field guide out now
April 30, 2022 Issue #120 – MemberPress furore sparks debate about plugin renewals
April 22, 2022 Issue #119 – WordPress 6.0 release team calling for testers to help "kick the tires"
April 8, 2022 Issue #118 – WordPress.com slammed for lack of communication around pricing changes
April 1, 2022 Issue #117 – Performance Team proposes enabling WebP by default
March 25, 2022 Issue #116 – Joost de Valk moving to advisory role at Yoast
March 18, 2022 Issue #115 – Newfold Digital acquires WooCommerce company YITH
March 11, 2022 Issue #114 – Performance Lab plugin offers first look at what WordPress Performance Team is working on
March 4, 2022 Issue #113 – How WordPress folks are #StandingbyUkraine
February 25, 2022 Issue #112 – Standing by Ukrainian WordPress folks
February 18, 2022 Issue #111 – FSE themes? Block themes? What are we calling them?
February 11, 2022 Issue #110 – Lack of diversity in WCEU organizing team called out, leads to positive discussions
February 4, 2022 Issue #109 – Matt Mullenweg says Tumblr now his "top priority" at Automattic
January 28, 2022 Issue #108 – WordPress 5.9 "Josephine": Full site editing is here 🎉
January 21, 2022 Issue #107 – WordCamp Birmingham postponed as local Covid numbers skyrocket
January 14, 2022 Issue #106 – Yoast SEO set to launch on Shopify

2021

December 17, 2021 Issue #105 – Matt Mullenweg delivers State of the Word 2021 live in New York
December 10, 2021 Issue #104- Gravatar leak exposes 114 million scraped emails
December 3, 2021 Issue #103 – Delicious Brains asks ACF lifetime licenses holders to pay again
November 26, 2021 Issue #102 – GoDaddy breach impacts 1.2 million managed WordPress accounts
November 20, 2021 Issue #101 – WordPress 5.9 pushed back to January
November 12, 2021 Issue #100 – GoDaddy acquires Pagely 🤯
November 5, 2021 Issue #99 – #WPYALL set to be first in-person WordCamp since pandemic ban lifted
October 29, 2021 Issue #98 – WordPress 5.9 release squad taking shape six weeks out from release
October 22, 2021 Issue #97 – WordPress 5.9: All proposed features approved
October 15, 2021 Issue #96 – Proposed WordPress Performance Team gets green light
October 8, 2021 Issue #95 – First look at Twenty Twenty-Two 😍
October 1, 2021 Issue #94 – WordCamp US 2021 is today!
September 24, 2021 Issue #93 – Pippin Williamson retires from WordPress
September 17, 2021 Issue #92 – GiveWP vs Marion Millar #wpdrama
September 10, 2021 Issue #91 – WordPress 5.9 set for release on December 14
September 3, 2021 Issue #90 – Automattic acqui-hires Frontity team
August 27, 2021 Issue #89 – Classic Editor’s end of life pushed back a year
August 20, 2021 Issue #88 – Automattic valued at $7.5 billion
August 13, 2021 Issue #87 – Yoast acquired by Newfold Digital
August 6, 2021 Issue #86 – Automattic invests $30 million in email startup
July 30, 2021 Issue #85 – WordCamp US to return on October 1
July 23, 2021 Issue #84 – WordPress 5.8 "Tatum" brings first taste of Full Site Editing to core
July 16, 2021 Issue #83 – Forced security update to patch WooCommerce vulnerability pushed to millions of websites
July 9, 2021 Issue #82 – Podcasting company raises funds from Automattic and Yoast
July 5, 2021 Issue #81 – DreamHost leak exposes WordPress user data
June 25, 2021 Issue #80 – WordPress 5.8 Beta 3 out now, final release on July 20
June 18, 2021 Issue #79 – And the acquisitions keep coming…
June 11, 2021 Issue #78 – WordPress economy worth $500 billion
June 6, 2021 Issue #77 – Delicious Brains acquires Advanced Custom Fields
May 28, 2021 Issue #76 – WordPress is 18 years old
May 21, 2021 Issue #75 – ProfilePress pulls bait and switch, surprising WP User Avatar users
May 14, 2021 Issue #74 – Accessibility advocates sign open letter opposing overlay technologies
May 7, 2021 Issue #73 – Yoast launches Diversity Fund 2.0
April 30, 2021 Issue #72 – Creative Commons Search is joining the WordPress project
April 23, 2021 Issue #71 – Core contributors take stock of proposed plan to block FLoC
April 16, 2021 Issue #70 – Full Site Editing in WordPress 5.8 is a ‘go'
April 9, 2021 Issue #69 – Wix attacks WordPress in bizarre marketing campaign
April 2, 2021 Issue #68 – PHP hacked, new security measures announced
March 26, 2021 Issue #67 – WPTavern launches new podcast
March 19, 2021 Issue #66 – Elementor patches XSS vulnerabilities
March 13, 2021 Issue #65 – WordPress 5.7 "Esperanza" now available
March 5, 2021 Issue #64 – Elementor ads highlight split in WordPress community vs ecosystem
February 26, 2021 Issue #63 – 2+ years of burnout, harassment and abuse
February 19, 2021 Issue #62 – WordPress releases could be scaled back in 2021
February 12, 2021 Issue #61 – WordPress passes 40%
February 5, 2021 Issue #60 – Core contributors focus on WordPress 5.7
January 29, 2021 Issue #59 – Plugin Review Team members subjected to death threats
January 22, 2021 Issue #58 – New WhiteHouse.gov site runs on WordPress. Again.
January 17, 2021 Issue #57 – Is Gutenberg’s performance eroding the dominance of page builders?
January 8, 2021 Issue #56 – WordPress.com launches custom website service, causes stir

2020

December 18, 2020 Issue #55 – State of the Word 2020: FSE, multilingual and extra polish
December 11, 2020 Issue #54 – WordPress 5.6 "Simone" release this week
December 4, 2020 Issue #53 – Yoast and Whodunit on why they contribute to WordPress
November 27, 2020 Issue #52 – WordPress 5.6 Field Guide now available
November 20, 2020 Issue #51 – Is Visual Composer for sale?
November 13, 2020 Issue #50 – Better than nothing: WordPress claims top spot in W3Techs ranking
November 6, 2020 Issue #49 – Auto-updates UI announced for WordPress 5.6 as misfire erodes trust in the system
October 30, 2020 Issue #48 – WordPress 5.6 Beta 2 now available
October 23, 2020 Issue #47 – Security update forced on 1+ million websites using Loginizer plugin
October 16, 2020 Issue #46 – WordCamp Austin's VR event gets rave reviews
October 9, 2020 Issue #45 – Block-based navigation screen dropped from WordPress 5.6, pushed back to 2021
October 2, 2020 Issue #44 – Yoast headhunts WordPress Core Team Rep Francesca Morano
September 25, 2020 Issue #43 – Matt Mullenweg is not a fan of Jamstack, ignites rivalry with tech CEOs
September 18, 2020 Issue #42 – GoDaddy acquires ecommerce company SkyVerge
September 11, 2020 We need your help! Take our 2020 survey
September 4, 2020 Issue #41 – iThemes and Liquid Web acquire popular Restrict Content Pro plugin
August 28, 2020 Issue #40 – Apple backs off, says it won't force free WordPress app to add purchases after all
August 21, 2020 Issue #39 – Work on WordPress 5.6 kicks off, team members hit back at critics of all-female release squad
August 14, 2020 Issue #38 – WordPress 5.5 “Eckstine” is here
August 7, 2020 Issue #37 – Big WordCamps canceled until 2022
July 31, 2020 Issue #36 – WordCamp US 2020 canceled
July 24, 2020 Issue #35 – Unsplash launches official WordPress plugin, causes stir with licensing
July 17, 2020 Issue #34 – WordCamp Europe to go virtual (again) for 2021
July 10, 2020 Issue #33 – Google launches Web Stories for WordPress
July 3, 2020 Issue #32 – Fighting climate change with sustainable web design
June 26, 2020 Issue #31 – Automattic criticized for "decimating" Longreads
June 19, 2020 Issue #30 – Tearing down systems of oppression
June 12, 2020 Issue #29 – Change is like flowers
June 5, 2020 Issue #28 – A heck of a lineup
May 29, 2020 Issue #27 – Technology is at its best when it brings people together
May 22, 2020 Issue #26 – Penguins are fun
May 15, 2020 Issue #25 – Smart play
May 8, 2020 Issue #24 – WordPress 💪🏼❤️
May 1, 2020 Issue #23 – Wear what you want
April 24, 2020 Issue #22 – Subscription-based economy
April 17, 2020 Issue #21 – The road ahead
April 10, 2020 Issue #20 – Fully remote
April 3, 2020 Issue #19 – "Say hello to more and better."
March 26, 2020 Issue #18 – Smells like community spirit
March 13, 2020 Issue #17 – WordCamp Europe postponed
March 6, 2020 Issue #16 – The future of WordCamps
February 28, 2020 Issue #15 – "It's a good day for Israeli WordPress startups 🇮🇱😎"
February 21, 2020 Issue #14 – See you in 11 months!
February 14, 2020 Issue #13 – “We stand with #WCAsia”
February 7, 2020 Issue #12 – What's the game plan?
January 31, 2020 Issue #11 – Gross (revenue) transparency
January 24, 2020 Issue #10 – Democratizing generosity
January 17, 2020 Issue #9 – There’s a lot to look forward to
January 9, 2020 Issue #8 – It’s 2020 already

2019

December 19, 2019 Issue #7 – Happy holidays! 🥳
December 12, 2019 Issue #6 – The (frustrating?) State of the WordPress economy
December 5, 2019 Issue #5 – #yoastgate
November 28, 2019 Issue #4 – Black Friday / Cyber Monday doesn't have to be about discounts
November 22, 2019 Issue #3 – Can’t shake the feeling I’m looking at Windows ’95
November 15, 2019 Issue #2 – KIIIIIIIIIIIIRK!
November 8, 2019 Issue #1 – All roads lead to the block editor