Automattic has announced the end of its four-month pause on WordPress core, Gutenberg editor, and related project development, signaling a renewed commitment to advancing the platform. The pause came at a critical time when competitors have outpaced WordPress in both user experience and technological innovation.
The company stated that resuming contributions was initially contingent on WP Engine withdrawing its lawsuit against Automattic and its founder, Matt Mullenweg, though the legal dispute remains unresolved. Despite ongoing litigation, Automattic re-evaluated WordPress’s strategic importance in the future of content management and decided to fully re-engage in development efforts.
In 2019, Automattic secured a $300 million investment from Salesforce Ventures aimed at accelerating innovation across WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, and increasing resources for open-source projects. However, data shows that the frequency of updates to WordPress core and Gutenberg has remained largely steady, with no significant acceleration in innovation.
To keep pace with rapid market changes, Automattic has formed a new WordPress AI team to leverage artificial intelligence and catch up with competitors. At WordCamp Asia 2025, Mullenweg admitted there is no long-term roadmap beyond short-term planning, emphasizing adaptability as a strategic priority amid fast-evolving technology.
User experience challenges persist, as reflected by over 10 million installs of the Classic Editor plugin, signaling dissatisfaction among users with the Gutenberg editor. Meanwhile, competitors like Wix have made notable advances in ease of use and innovation, intensifying pressure on WordPress.
Overall, Automattic’s return to active development highlights a renewed dedication to the platform’s future but also exposes WordPress’s lag in technology and user experience. Whether WordPress can regain trust from developers and users and close the gap with rivals remains to be seen.
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