On May 27, WordPress marked its 22nd birthday.
From a simple blogging platform launched in 2003 to powering 43.5% of the web today (according to the latest W3Techs usage stats), WordPress has come a long way, shaped by thousands of contributors, countless community events, and more than two decades of open-source evolution.
Communities around the world marked the occasion, many during special meetups — and with plenty of cake! From Ahmedabad to Ajmer, contributors gathered to celebrate WordPress’s legacy and ongoing impact.
The official WordPress account joined in with a simple birthday wish: “Thanks for helping us build the web.”
The business community also took a moment to reflect. Awesome Motive founder and CEO Syed Balkhi posted that he was “Truly grateful to be a part of the @WordPress community for the last 19 years.”
Long-time web development agency WebDevStudios shared its own tribute:
Tributes poured in across the wider community as well. WordCamp Europe co-founder Remkus de Vries wrote, “Hat tip to everyone who’s nudged pixels, wrangled hooks, translated strings at 02:17, organized events, or dropped that one legendary ‘fix typo’ commit.”
WordPress just level-upped to 22 (human-years, not release numbers).
Hat tip to everyone who’s nudged pixels, wrangled hooks, translated strings at 02:17, organized events, or dropped that one legendary “fix typo” commit.
Open source is still our favorite group project. Let’s… pic.twitter.com/yWvQlWf1xs— Remkus de Vries (@remkusdevries) May 27, 2025
Others joined in across platforms, including WordCamp Europe and longtime contributor Birgit Pauli-Haack.
Co-founder Matt Mullenweg acknowledged the milestone in a quick line at the end of a blog post about the five layers of sharing thoughts and ideas — a reflection on writing, privacy, and the tools Automattic builds. He also noted he was “very excited” about the new WordPress AI Team.
WordPress’s story over the past year hasn’t just been one of growth — though it does continue to dominate market share. The project has faced big questions about leadership, governance, and the future of contribution amid Automattic and WP Engine’s legal battle, blocked accounts, and a slowdown in major releases. At the same time, we’ve seen new grassroots initiatives emerge, like WordPress Campus Connect, contributors continue to come together at WordCamps, and moves to rebuild trust. We’ve also seen the impacts of AI, as plugin submissions surge and, yes, the formation of the AI team.
As WordPress enters its 23rd year, it’s not just celebrating its past, it’s actively shaping its future. The questions being asked today may be uncomfortable, but they’re necessary. And if history is anything to go by, the next chapter will be written by the people who show up, speak up, and keep building.
Image credit: Kostas Fryganiotis, WordCamp Europe 2024.
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