Ten WordPress Predictions for 2025  ## Metadata - Author: [[David McCan]] - Full Title: Ten WordPress Predictions for 2025 - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #WordPress - #Predictions - #Ecosystem Author: David McCan Source: WebTNG (YouTube) Reference: [Ten WordPress Predictions for 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE) date created: 2025-08-22 21:10 --- # Title: Ten WordPress Predictions for 2025 ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#️-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) --- ## 📝 Summary: David McCan lays out ten predictions for the WordPress ecosystem in 2025, ranging from the ongoing **conflict between WP Engine and Automattic**, potential **forks of WordPress**, the role of **AI in translations**, the persistence of **page builders**, evolution of **block themes**, economic shifts in **pricing models**, and the future of **lifetime deals** on AppSumo. His tone mixes caution with pragmatism, recognizing both WordPress’ entrenched dominance and its looming challenges. --- ## 📖 Main Content: The video balances **community politics, technology trends, and market economics**. Predictions are framed as both analysis and personal opinion. The major throughline is that **conflict, AI integration, and pricing pressures** will shape WordPress in 2025. ### 🗒️ Notes - [00:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE&t=11) Conflict between **WP Engine** and **Matt Mullenweg/Automattic** dominates the ecosystem. - Matt’s leadership style: belief that WordPress is indispensable. - Prediction 1: Continued conflict → a viable fork or downstream distribution (like Ubuntu from Debian). - [01:36](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE&t=96) Prediction 2: Trademark dispute may succeed partially but fail broadly. Prediction 3: Automattic may absorb distribution, shifting ecosystem balance. - [02:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE&t=143) Prediction 4: **AI-based forks of WordPress** may arise. Prediction 5: AI will become part of **WordPress core translations**, skipping Gutenberg’s staged rollout. - [03:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE&t=215) Prediction 6: **Divi 5 rewrite** will succeed, revitalizing page builders. Prediction 7: **ET (Kevin Geary’s project)** will grow more than expected if it avoids over-engineering. - [05:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE&t=350) Prediction 8: **Block themes** remain stagnant but third-party developers will expand them, akin to the early days of niche themes. - [08:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE&t=490) Prediction 9: **Prices rise** across established WordPress products; new entrants will fail if they mimic inflated “anchor pricing.” - [10:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE&t=614) Prediction 10: **AppSumo shifts** from lifetime deals to lifetime discounts after many failed deals. --- ## 📖 References: - WordPress community conflict coverage (2023–2025). - Elegant Themes: Divi 5 announcements. - Kevin Geary’s ET builder discussions. - AppSumo policy changes on lifetime deals. --- ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. *Original*: “If Matt continues the bad behavior… some clear alternative will emerge.” - **Paraphrase**: Should Mullenweg persist with controversial tactics, the ecosystem may generate a tangible alternative, potentially via a fork. 2. *Original*: “Block themes have not taken off… but I think in 2025 we’ll start to see that happen.” - **Paraphrase**: Although block themes have underperformed, 2025 could mark their growth, especially through third-party developer innovation. --- ## 📰 Newsletter: 🚀 **WordPress 2025 Predictions Are In** David McCan of WebTNG just dropped a bold set of predictions: - Forks could rise if conflicts with Automattic escalate. - AI won’t just be hype—expect it in **core translations**. - Page builders aren’t dead—**Divi 5 and ET** may see strong growth. - Block themes need third-party developers to thrive. - Pricing pressures and AppSumo’s shift away from risky lifetime deals will reshape the plugin/theme economy. 👉 Watch the full predictions [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE). --- ## ✅ Action Items: - Frame forks/AI debates in terms of **sustainability and governance**, aligning with OSPO advocacy. - Leverage “pricing realism” discussions to push for **transparent, ethical pricing** in WordPress products. - Use block theme limitations as a **teaching opportunity**—contributor onboarding can show how third-party innovation drives progress. - Align newsletter tone to **balance critique with optimism**—professional but witty. --- ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - H1: A forked distribution will emerge if governance conflicts persist. - H2: AI integration into translations will improve adoption among non-English markets. - H3: Transparent pricing strategies foster trust and higher retention. ### 📊 Methodology: - Analyze forks in OSS history (e.g., LibreOffice vs. OpenOffice). - Conduct surveys on user trust in lifetime deals. - Track adoption of AI-powered translations across plugins. ### ❓ Questions: - Will forks fracture or strengthen WordPress’ resilience? - How will AI integration change contributor workflows? - Can ethical pricing gain traction against anchor pricing? ### 🔮 Future Research: - Comparative study of **AI adoption in CMS ecosystems**. - Long-term effects of **AppSumo’s shift** on plugin viability. - Ethnographic research on **contributor trust in governance**. ### 💡 Implications: - Governance failures risk **fragmentation**. - AI translations could significantly **expand WordPress’ global reach**. - Ethical pricing could **differentiate sustainable businesses**. --- ## 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: - **Visual**: Weak—lacks graphics; could benefit from infographics. - **Aural**: Moderate—video format supports auditory learners. - **Verbal**: Strong—clear explanations, narrative-driven. - **Kinesthetic**: Absent—no interactivity. - **Logical**: Strong—structured predictions. - **Social**: Moderate—comments and group invites. - **Solitary**: Strong—encourages reflection. - **Naturalistic**: Absent—no nature analogies. Readability: ~10th-grade level. --- ## 📊 Accessibility Assessment: - **Strengths**: Clear narration; timestamps aid navigation. - **Weaknesses**: No structured transcript on video page. - **Improvements**: Add captions, alt-text for visuals, and accessible HTML transcripts. --- ## 🌍 DEIB Assessment: - **Cultural Relevance**: US/Euro-centric examples. Needs global perspectives. - **Inclusive Language**: Neutral. Could simplify jargon for accessibility. - **Neurodiversity**: Structure clear but long—break into chapters. - **Representation**: No demographic inclusion. - **Psychological Safety**: Neutral—calls for open comments but not explicit inclusivity. --- ## ✅ Logical Validity: - **Strengths**: - Deductive reasoning (conflict → forks). - Inductive reasoning (pricing → harder entry for new devs). - Causal reasoning (AI → translation in core). - **Weaknesses**: - **Slippery slope** (Mullenweg’s behavior inevitably → forks). - **Appeal to novelty** (AI = solution, without testing). Tone: Analytical, cautionary, pragmatic. --- ## 🔍 DARVO Analysis: - **Deny**: No denial—acknowledges Automattic’s behavior as problematic. - **Attack**: Subtle critique of Mullenweg’s “bad behavior,” but not personal attacks. - **Reverse Victim/Offender**: Not present—ecosystem, not individuals, framed as vulnerable. DARVO tactic - Summary: Will 2025 be the year of the page builder? A lot has happened in the WordPress ecosystem over the last year and we are poised for a lot of changes and advancements. Here are my predictions along with some reasons why I think they will happen. There is a text version of the video available on the WebTNG website: https://www.webtng.com/ten-wordpress-predictions-for-2025/ Join the discussion in the Dynamic WordPress Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dynamicwordpress - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzHw84PlbPE hi this is David mccan for web TNG in this video I'm looking at my 2025 predictions for WordPress and the WordPress ecosystem let's start with the elephant that has been trampling around the community lately and that is the conflict between WP engine on the one hand and automatic Matt Mullen wig on the other along with everything else that's followed on from it what I see is that Matt is not interested in having WordPress return to let's call it a quiet State I think he believes that WordPress is so good that no matter what he says or does people will continue using it that by subsidizing wordpress.org over the years he's created a dependency kind of like a drug addiction and now people can't stop using it however my first prediction is if Matt continues the bad behavior here then some clear alternative will emerge now what that'll look like I'm not sure maybe it'll be a Straight Fork maybe it'll be a downstream drro like model the way that umuntu is a downstream distribution based on Debian maybe there'll be a new WordPress flavor that is based on core but that layers on top of it features and changes that have been neglected Ed in core over the last several years the second prediction is in relation to the court case itself Matt I think will have some limited success in relation to his trademark claims however I think he will lose on all other points and that leads to the third prediction I think that will be something of a rude awakening or wakeup call for Matt and that he'll move the distribution functionality under automatic I don't think that will have a super huge impact in terms of functionality of Wordpress sites immediately but it may have some ramifications for the ecosystem overall over time now let's move from the conflict with WP engine to talk about WordPress core and AI because of course there have to be some AI predictions so my fourth prediction is that someone will Fork WordPress using AI in fact I think the major hurdle the community has to jump over isn't forking the code itself but is in finding a way to provide an alternative ecosystem now the fifth prediction also involves AI that is that I think an opsource large language model will be included in Word press core for translation purposes in other words I don't think there's any reason any longer to wait on the sequential completion of Gutenberg steps remember translation is the final or fourth step at this point I don't think there's any new information that will make a big difference and as has been hinted I think that AI will be the solution for enabling translations in core now moving on from core I believe that 2025 will be the year of the page builder I know that is counter to what many people think many people think that Gutenberg and the site editor will become so good that page Builders are just going to fade away but I think that there will always be a place for page Builders as long as WordPress is is flexible enough to support them and indeed I think in 2025 we're going to see a second spring for page Builders so my sixth prediction is that the divy 5 rewrite will be a success props to the divy team at elegant themes they recognized that divy one of the first and a leading page builder which is attractive to many designers and a number of agencies have built their business around divy props to the divy team for recognizing that it needs to be updated and for having the guts and fortitude and will to go ahead and do the work that needs to be done to keep it relevant the seventh prediction is also related to the page builder space and this is in relation to ET etch is is a budding page builder being developed by Kevin giri and his team the market share of oxygen as well as the popularity of bricks and the popularity of even the site editor from a code perspective all indicate that there is a good market for a code first or code aware or also code page builder so my seventh prediction is that ET will become more popular than expected especially if the team can avoid over engineering it my eighth prediction also related more or less to page Builders and that is in relation to block themes block themes have not taken off the way that I think was expected they are popular with themed developers and in some ways block themes have hearkened back to the old days of Niche themes if you were involved in WordPress a number of years ago you remember that there were lots of Niche themes you would get a theme if you wanted like a site for a lawyer or a site for a writer for a book author or a site for a nonprofit you would go and get a particular Niche theme for that particular purpose but then general purpose themes came along with page Builders and Niche themes took a back seat as these general purpose themes just you know racked up the active installs and I think that the limitations of the current block theme ecosystem have held it back and that's not related to block themes itself but rather what can be done given the constraints of the theme directory if you think about it pretty much all of the big progress in WordPress has happened because thirdparty developers got involved show what could be done and just kind of expanded the envelope they haven't been able to do that yet much for Block themes but I think in 2025 we'll start to see that happen and that's my eighth prediction that third-party developers will break out of the constraints of the current block theme ecosystem they will provide more services within block themes themselves or within compion plugins not only to make them competitive or equal or comparative to general purpose themes but maybe even to enable more features of the site editor that we just haven't seen yet moving from page Builders to the economy and pricing there has been a trend in the WordPress ecosystem for prices to rise that's not necessarily A Bad Thing prices in general seem to have been kind of low but some of the big players have made rather bold and and perhaps temporarily painful moves to push the ceiling higher as a result we've seen a number of products launch with higher pricing or raise their pricing now for established products or for companies that have a track record of delivering highquality products I think that makes a lot of sense and I don't have any problem with it however one thing I have noticed is that a number of new players of new developers trying to break into the WordPress Market they see these high prices and they launch their new products with these high prices and they fail terribly they end up having to have it on steep discount you know like 80 90% discount for over a year or two before they can raise their prices and that's something with pricing that I find distasteful this anchor pricing that some companies have that's so unrealistic it's like an insult to our intelligence they would never be able to sell it for that amount so it's not a prediction but it's my hope that the community will start to push back against that unrealistic anchor pricing but my prediction is that WordPress prices will continue to rise for established products but that new products will find it even more difficult than they have in the past to break in because they won't know how to price and Market themselves and this brings me to my last my 10th prediction and that is not related to Wordpress specifically it's related to appsumo appsumo is popular among a lot of Wordpress users appsumo is a site that offers lifetime packages at attractive prices over the past year we've seen a number of deals some of them from appsumo some launched on other platforms but there have been a number of Lifetime deals that have either failed totally or where the companies have in one way or another not honored terms of their lifetime sale appsumo has done a good thing they've started to refund at least partially customers who purchased a lifetime deal if it closed within the last year so I commend them for that but my prediction is that in 2025 we'll see appsumo add to their Marketplace deals that are based on Lifetime discounts instead of or in addition to Lifetime packages those are my predictions for 2025 did I get it wrong or do you agree with me did I miss something really big please share your thoughts in the comments below or if you're on Facebook in the dynamic WordPress Facebook group if you enjoyed this video please give it a like And subscribe to the channel thank you for watching, Ten WordPress Predictions for 2025, David McCan, 01jghwep13mkbg6qdq2g7e3rpg.