Introduction to WordPress Development Pause
Automattic, the company behind WordPress, recently announced that it is reversing its four-month pause in WordPress development. This pause came at a critical moment, as competitors were outpacing WordPress in ease of use and technological innovation. The decision to pause contributions was initially contingent on WP Engine withdrawing their lawsuit against Automattic and its CEO, Matt Mullenweg.
The Reason Behind the Pause
The announcement stated that Automattic would return to active contributions to WordPress core, Gutenberg, and other projects when the legal attacks had stopped. However, WP Engine and Automattic are still locked in litigation, so what changed? Automattic suggests that it has reconsidered its place as the future of content management. After pausing contributions to regroup, rethink, and plan strategically, the company is ready to press play again and return fully to the WordPress project.
The Impact of the Pause
Automattic’s announcement suggests that they realized moving forward with WordPress is important despite continued litigation. But did Automattic really need a four-month pause to come to that realization? The pause may have been a strategic decision, but it has left many wondering if it was necessary. With millions of dollars invested in Automattic, including a $300 million investment from Salesforce Ventures in 2019, it’s surprising that the company felt the need to pause development.
Where Did the Investment Go?
The $300 million investment was supposed to enable Automattic to accelerate its roadmap and scale up its existing products, including WordPress.com, WordPress VIP, WooCommerce, and Jetpack. However, updates to the WordPress core remained fairly unchanged, and the pace of Gutenberg releases also followed a steady pace, with no significant increases. This raises questions about where the investment actually went. WooCommerce and Jetpack did see an increase in updates, but the core WordPress development seemed to be unaffected by the investment.
The Survival of the Fittest CMS
A positive development from Automattic’s pause is the announcement of a new WordPress AI Team. This team was created after competitors had outpaced WordPress, leaving the content management system playing catch-up to adapt to user needs and the fast pace of technology. This is ironic, given that Matt Mullenweg was unable to answer where WordPress would be in five years when asked at the February 2025 WordCamp Asia event. He cited the lack of a long-term vision as a strategic decision to remain adaptable to the fast pace of technology.
The Usability and Competitive Lag
Gutenberg, WordPress’s block-based editor, has been criticized for its usability. The official Classic Editor plugin has over ten million installations, indicating that many users find Gutenberg difficult to use. Additionally, third-party builders like Divi, Elementor, and Beaver Builder have been offering block-based, point-and-click editors since 2017, making WordPress’s effort seem belated. WordPress now finds itself needing to catch up in a CMS market that has evolved rapidly in both ease of use and innovation.
Takeaways
- Automattic’s Strategic Reversal: Automattic reversed its pause on WordPress contributions despite unresolved litigation with WP Engine, perhaps signaling a change in internal priorities or external pressures.
- Delayed Response to AI Trends: A new AI group has been formed within WordPress core development, but this move comes years after competitors embraced AI—suggesting a reactive rather than proactive strategy.
- Lack of Long-Term Vision: WordPress leadership admits to having no roadmap beyond the short term, framing adaptability as a strength even as the platform lags in addressing user needs and keeping up with technological trends.
- Minimal Impact from Major Investments: Despite receiving hundreds of millions in funding, core WordPress and Gutenberg development showed no significant acceleration, raising questions about where investment actually went.
- Usability and Competitive Lag: Gutenberg arguably struggles with usability, as shown by the popularity of the Classic Editor plugin and user preference for third-party builders.
- WordPress at a Competitive Disadvantage: WordPress now finds itself needing to catch up in a CMS market that has evolved rapidly in both ease of use and innovation.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that the pace of development for the WordPress core and Gutenberg remained steady after the 2019 investment, and after all of the millions of dollars that Automattic received from companies like Newfold Digital, sponsored contributions, and volunteer contributions from individuals themselves, the effect on the speed of development and innovation maintained the same follow-the-competitors-from-behind pace. Automattic’s return to WordPress core development inadvertently calls attention to how far the platform has fallen behind competitors like Wix in usability and innovation, despite major investments and years of community support. For users and developers, this means that WordPress must now work to regain trust by proving it can adapt quickly and deliver the tools that modern site developers, businesses, and content creators actually need.