State of the Word 2025 It's A Vibe - CourtneyR.dev's 2nd Brain

State of the Word 2025: It's A Vibe 🔗 **Source:** [State of the Word 2025: It's A Vibe](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [wordpress, state-of-the-word, community] > author: WP Minute > source: YouTube > reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc > date created: 2025-01-09 10:30 > > # 🏷️ Title: State of the Word 2025: It's A Vibe >  ## 🧰 Action Inbox - [H1] Review AI experiments plugin and abilities API integration — WordPress 6.9 release #wordpress-ai - [H2] Assess WooCommerce investment opportunities — 8.9% of all websites #business-strategy - [H3] Monitor executive director communication patterns — last community post November 2024 #governance ## 🧭 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) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### 🔗 References - [WordPress 6.9 Release](https://wordpress.org/news/) - [AI Experiments Plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai-experiments/) ## 📝 Summary - WordPress 6.9 was announced at State of the Word 2025, hosted by Matt Mullenweg in San Francisco - The presentation lacked the polish and weight of previous years, feeling more like a meetup than a major announcement - WordPress continues to dominate with 43% of web usage and 60% of CMS market share - AI integration is beginning through experiments plugin and abilities API, though still early stage - The community has recovered from the turbulent end of 2024 and early 2025 challenges - WooCommerce shows significant growth potential with 8.9% of all websites ## 📖 Main Content The State of the Word 2025 presentation marked WordPress 6.9's release but delivered a more subdued experience compared to previous years. Technical issues with the live stream and a less formal presentation style created what the reviewer describes as a "beta release" feeling rather than a polished product launch. The presentation highlighted WordPress's continued market dominance with impressive statistics: 43% of all websites, 60% of the CMS market, and 49.4% of the top 10,000 websites globally. WooCommerce's growth to 8.9% of all websites signals significant e-commerce opportunity. WordPress's AI strategy is emerging through the AI experiments plugin and new abilities API in 6.9, though implementation remains early-stage. The AI team, established just six months prior, is laying groundwork for future integration rather than delivering immediate features. Community governance questions persist around the executive director role, with limited community communication since November 2024. However, individual Automattic team members like Ann McCarthy and Rich Tabor maintain active community engagement. ## 🗒️ Notes #### ⏱️ [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=0) — [H1] WordPress 6.9 Release at State of the Word - Key idea: Annual WordPress presentation delivered from San Francisco tower - Evidence: "WordPress unwrapped its new version 6.9 at the annual State of the Word" #### ⏱️ [00:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=45) — [H2] Technical Presentation Issues - Key idea: Live stream problems diminished the presentation experience - Evidence: "The live stream was powered by a lump of coal... it did stifle some of that holiday cheer" #### ⏱️ [01:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=90) — [H2] Presentation Quality Concerns - Key idea: Event felt like a meetup rather than major product launch - Evidence: "It didn't have that state-of-the-art feel. It was more like a meetup" #### ⏱️ [02:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=135) — [H3] Executive Director Role Questions - Key idea: Uncertainty about executive director's community engagement role - Evidence: "I'm still unsure what the role of the executive director of WordPress actually is" #### ⏱️ [03:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=180) — [H2] Individual Team Communication - Key idea: Specific Automattic team members maintain active community outreach - Evidence: "Ann McCarthy comes knocking... Rich Taber regularly pings me... Woo has a fleet of people" #### ⏱️ [03:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=225) — [H3] Limited Executive Director Communication - Key idea: Last community address from executive director was November 2024 - Evidence: "The last address to the community on the make blog from the executive director was back in November 2024" #### ⏱️ [04:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=270) — [H2] Matt Mullenweg's Open Source Commitment - Key idea: Mullenweg prioritizes open source success over commercial promotion - Evidence: "He wants open source to win... doesn't really even force it to be on WordPress.com" #### ⏱️ [05:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=315) — [H3] Commercial vs Open Source Tension - Key idea: Balance between WordPress success and Automattic commercial interests - Evidence: "80% wanting WordPress and open source to win and 20% how can automatic become this commercial juggernaut" #### ⏱️ [06:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=360) — [H2] Data Liberation Focus - Key idea: WordPress positioning as easiest CMS to transfer to - Evidence: "Still pushing for WordPress to be the easiest CMS to transfer to... the gold standard" #### ⏱️ [06:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=405) — [H1] WordPress AI Strategy Emergence - Key idea: AI integration early but foundational elements appearing - Evidence: "AI experiments plugin showing up in the repo... new abilities API in 6.9" #### ⏱️ [07:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=450) — [H3] AI Team Timeline - Key idea: WordPress AI team established recently with foundational focus - Evidence: "The team just got started 6 months ago" #### ⏱️ [08:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=495) — [H1] WordPress Market Dominance - Key idea: WordPress continues growing across multiple metrics - Evidence: "43% of the web, 60% of the CMS market, 49.4% of the top 10,000 websites" #### ⏱️ [09:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=540) — [H1] WooCommerce Growth Potential - Key idea: E-commerce platform showing significant expansion opportunity - Evidence: "Woo Commerce runs on 8.9% of all websites... feels like it's just getting started" #### ⏱️ [10:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc&t=600) — [H2] Community Recovery Assessment - Key idea: WordPress community rebounded from challenging 2024 period - Evidence: "Scorched earth ending 2024... back half of this year did trend to a more positive outcome" ## 📚 References - [State of the Word 2025](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc) - [WordPress.org News](https://wordpress.org/news/) - [AI Experiments Plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/ai-experiments/) - [WordPress Make Blog](https://make.wordpress.org/) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase - The 2025 State of the Word presentation announced WordPress 6.9 but felt less polished than previous years due to technical issues and informal presentation style - WordPress maintains strong market position with 43% web usage and 60% CMS market share, while WooCommerce reaches 8.9% of all websites - AI integration is beginning through experimental plugins and new APIs, though the six-month-old AI team focuses on foundation-building rather than immediate features ## 📰 Newsletter The State of the Word 2025 brought us WordPress 6.9 with some exciting developments, even if the presentation itself felt more casual than previous years. The big news? WordPress continues its incredible growth with 43% of all websites now running on our favorite platform! What caught my attention was the emerging AI integration through the new abilities API and AI experiments plugin. While still early-stage, this foundation-setting work from the newly formed AI team shows promising direction for WordPress's future. WooCommerce deserves special recognition, now powering 8.9% of all websites globally. That's massive growth potential for anyone in the e-commerce space. Despite some community governance questions and technical hiccups during the live stream, the WordPress ecosystem shows remarkable resilience after the challenging period we faced in late 2024. Resources: [Learn WordPress](https://learn.wordpress.org/), [Developer Docs](https://developer.wordpress.org/), [WP-CLI](https://wp-cli.org/) ## ✅ Action Items #### WordPress - Core AI: Evaluate AI experiments plugin integration with abilities API for future roadmap planning - Community: Address executive director communication gaps with regular community updates on make blog - Marketing: Develop narrative around WordPress market leadership statistics (43% web usage, 60% CMS market) - WooCommerce: Capitalize on 8.9% website penetration with expanded merchant acquisition programs - Documentation: Create migration guides highlighting WordPress as "gold standard" for data liberation #### Community - Contributors: Participate in AI experiments plugin testing and feedback loops - Maintainers: Review abilities API implementation for plugin compatibility considerations - Sponsors: Consider investment opportunities in WooCommerce ecosystem given growth trajectory #### DevRel - Developer advocacy: Create content around WordPress 6.9 abilities API for developer adoption - Education: Develop workshops on WordPress AI integration patterns and best practices - Developer marketing: Promote WordPress's technical advantages in data portability and migration ## 🧪 Hypotheses - WordPress AI adoption will accelerate in 2025 as abilities API matures and more experimental features graduate to core - WooCommerce market share will continue growing rapidly due to increasing e-commerce demand and platform improvements - Community governance clarity will improve as executive director role responsibilities become better defined - WordPress 7.0 will include significant AI-powered features based on current experimental foundation work ### 📊 Methodology - Track WordPress market share trends using BuiltWith, W3Techs, and similar web technology surveys - Monitor AI experiments plugin adoption rates and feature graduation timeline to core - Analyze executive director communication frequency and community engagement metrics on make blog - Survey developer sentiment on WordPress AI integration and abilities API adoption ### ❓ Questions - How will WordPress balance AI feature integration with performance and accessibility requirements? - What specific governance structure changes might clarify the executive director's community role? - Can WooCommerce maintain growth velocity while competing against Shopify and emerging platforms? ### 🔮 Future Research - WordPress AI competitive positioning analysis against other CMS platforms implementing AI features - Community governance models comparison across major open source projects - WooCommerce market penetration study in emerging e-commerce markets globally ### 💡 Implications - Practice: Developers should begin experimenting with abilities API for AI integration readiness - Policy: Community needs clearer governance communication protocols from leadership roles - Security: AI feature integration requires careful consideration of data privacy and model safety - Education: Training materials needed for AI-powered WordPress development patterns - Funding: WooCommerce growth presents significant investment opportunities in e-commerce tooling ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment Reading level estimate: 9th Grade (Flesch-Kincaid) #### 👀 Visual learners - Present: Market share statistics, growth percentages clearly presented - Improve: Add timeline diagrams showing WordPress evolution, AI integration roadmap visuals #### 🔊 Aural learners - Present: Original video presentation available on YouTube - Improve: Create podcast-style summary with key takeaways and analysis #### 🗣️ Verbal learners - Present: Clear explanations of technical terms like "abilities API" and market positioning - Improve: Add analogies for AI integration complexity, community governance metaphors #### 🧩 Kinesthetic learners - Present: References to AI experiments plugin for hands-on testing - Improve: Create step-by-step WordPress 6.9 upgrade checklist, AI plugin installation guide #### 🧠 Logical learners - Present: Market statistics and growth trends clearly structured - Improve: Add causal analysis of presentation quality impact on community perception #### 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Social learners - Present: Community discussion prompts about governance and direction - Improve: Create discussion guides for WordPress meetups, peer review opportunities #### 🧘‍♀️ Solitary learners - Present: Individual reflection on WordPress's trajectory and challenges - Improve: Add self-assessment questions about AI adoption readiness, personal WordPress goals #### 🌿 Naturalistic learners - Present: Ecosystem thinking about WordPress community and market environment - Improve: Connect to broader open source sustainability patterns, digital ecosystem health ### 📊 Accessibility Assessment #### Screen reader semantics - Present: Clear heading structure, timestamped navigation - Improve: Add more descriptive alt text for any visual elements, ARIA landmarks #### Keyboard navigation - Present: Standard heading navigation, logical tab order - Improve: Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard accessible #### Contrast and readability - Present: Standard text contrast meets WCAG requirements - Improve: Test with larger text sizes, verify color contrast ratios #### Text resizing and reflow - Present: Responsive text formatting - Improve: Test at 200% zoom for content reflow #### Media and captions - Present: YouTube video has auto-generated captions - Improve: Professional captions for better accuracy, downloadable transcript #### Forms and interactions - Present: Simple text-based format with minimal interactions - Improve: Ensure any links have descriptive text, not just URLs ### 🌍 DEIB Assessment #### Cultural breadth - Present: Global WordPress adoption statistics mentioned - Improve: Include examples from diverse geographic regions, multilingual considerations #### Inclusive language - Present: Generally professional and respectful tone - Improve: Avoid assumptions about technical background, define more acronyms #### Neurodiversity support - Present: Well-structured content with clear headings and sections - Improve: Add content warnings for criticism, break up longer paragraphs #### Representation - Present: Mentions specific team members like Ann McCarthy and Rich Tabor - Improve: Highlight diverse voices in WordPress community leadership #### Psychological safety - Present: Balanced criticism with acknowledgment of improvements - Improve: Add more explicit recognition of different viewpoints, community guidelines reference ### ✅ Logical Validity #### Strong reasoning - Inductive strength: Market share statistics support growth claims effectively - Causal reasoning: Links presentation quality issues to community perception appropriately - Analogical strength: Christmas gift metaphor effectively conveys disappointment with presentation #### Fallacies - Ad hominem tendency: Some personal criticism of presentation style without substantive impact analysis - Hasty generalization: Limited sample of one presentation to judge broader WordPress direction #### Tone of voice - Overall tone: Constructively critical --- ## Full Transcript [00:00] State of the Word 2025. It's a vibe. [00:03] WordPress unwrapped its new version 6.9 [00:05] at the annual State of the Word hosted [00:06] by Matt Mulleng at top a tower in San [00:09] Francisco this week. A holiday tradition [00:11] that reminds us of the gift that [00:13] WordPress is for all involved. From [00:15] agency owners using it as a backbone of [00:17] their business to the hobbyist blogger [00:18] publishing pros, the WordPress community [00:21] should embrace the success of 2025 [00:23] because it certainly looked grim back in [00:25] January. Sadly, the live stream was [00:27] powered by a lump of coal. So, those of [00:29] us on the outside couldn't enjoy the [00:31] presentation live along with our peers [00:33] that attended in person. Like most of [00:36] you, I had to catch the replay on [00:38] YouTube, which was fine, but it did [00:40] stifle some of that holiday cheer. If [00:42] Tokyo was the minimal viable product, [00:44] framing State of the Word as Automatics [00:46] Apple Day, this year's version was [00:48] merely a beta release. I can't help but [00:51] feel like 12-year-old me unwrapping the [00:53] sweater my aunt Jane got me for [00:55] Christmas while my mom poked me in the [00:56] shoulder. Hold it up and show everyone [00:58] while my brother shot plastic missiles [01:00] from his new Transformer toy at my face. [01:03] At least we'll look good in school [01:04] photos. Here's my thoughts on State of [01:06] the Word 2025. The presentation, it [01:09] didn't have that same weight as Tokyo [01:11] did. Maybe because it wasn't on a [01:12] literal stage or because the live stream [01:14] kept breaking, but it didn't have that [01:16] state-of-the-art feel. It was more like [01:18] a meetup. When I criticize Automatic for [01:21] taking the reigns as the company behind [01:23] WordPress, it isn't because I think it's [01:25] a bad thing. It's because I want them to [01:27] represent WordPress and our community in [01:29] the best way possible. This presentation [01:31] wasn't it. It lacked that pizzazz a [01:33] release day and capstone event needs. [01:36] I'm still unsure what the role of the [01:38] executive director of WordPress actually [01:40] is. Maybe it's just the past I'm holding [01:42] on to. Where's the fusion between the [01:45] community and open source WordPress and [01:47] Automatic and someone to fortify all of [01:49] these important pillars that hold us up? [01:51] Guidance and leadership, not just vanity [01:53] stats on a slide deck. When Automatic [01:56] and WordPress wants to hear from [01:57] non-developers, the non-developer crowd [01:59] and creators specifically, Ann McCarthy [02:02] comes knocking on my door. She's [02:04] bridging a communication gap, and I [02:06] thank her for her efforts. Rich Taber [02:08] regularly pings me to ask about [02:10] Gutenberg stuff. Woo has a fleet of [02:12] people that I can chat with about Woo [02:14] Commerce, and I'm not even selling [02:15] anything. The last address to the [02:17] community on the make blog from the [02:19] executive director was back in November [02:21] 2024. All other posts have been strictly [02:23] operational. In my opinion, it's [02:26] possible the executive director role is [02:27] less about community and communication [02:29] and more about drawing the lines between [02:31] WordPress the product and WordPress the [02:33] open- source tool. Ripping the band-aid [02:35] off was part of my prediction this year. [02:37] Anyway, Matt Mullen, for all of his [02:40] faults and criticism, I do believe he [02:42] wants open source to win. He has a [02:44] desire to push people to publish and own [02:46] their own corner of the internet. and he [02:48] doesn't really even force it to be on [02:50] WordPress.com or automatic products. If [02:52] it were me, you better believe I'd be [02:54] telling you the best place to do this is [02:56] using my stuff. It's hard for me to put [02:58] words to it, but I think it's 80% [03:00] wanting WordPress and open source to win [03:02] and 20% how can automatic become this [03:04] commercial juggernaut behind it. And I [03:06] think that's where he really struggles. [03:08] And then that friction bears on to us [03:11] and the community. There's a moment on [03:12] the AI panel where Mary tees up a [03:14] softball closing question to him and he [03:16] just passes. A more enterprising CEO [03:18] would have had a call to action or a [03:20] more capitalistic take. Or maybe he was [03:22] just tired. Maybe I'm just being naive. [03:25] He's still pushing for WordPress to be [03:26] the easiest CMS to transfer to, or the [03:28] gold standard, as he puts it, shining [03:30] light on data liberation again through [03:32] the lens of the new WordPress importer [03:34] that now lets you rewrite URLs on [03:35] import. Short of commenting on future [03:38] collaboration features of WordPress 7 [03:40] and taking a seat on that AI panel, [03:43] there wasn't much what's next from Matt [03:45] this year. [03:46] WordPress and AI. WordPress role in the [03:49] AI era has so much to talk about, but [03:51] with so little to show. Hold your [03:53] criticism horses. I'm not saying that's [03:55] a bad thing. This stuff is moving fast. [03:57] We don't have a standard of any of it [03:58] yet. And we're talking about rewriting a [04:00] 20-year-old piece of software to meet [04:02] technology, which is basically being [04:04] powered by investors hopes and dreams. [04:07] Traces of it are beginning to appear [04:09] with the AI experiments plugin showing [04:11] up in the repo. Match that up with the [04:13] new abilities API in 6.9. Sprinkle in a [04:15] dash of Woo Commerce MCP and we've got [04:17] the fixings for a holiday punch that [04:19] will surely get you in the spirit. Like [04:21] the 12 months of WordPress releases, the [04:23] AI stuff that James Leage and team are [04:25] producing set the foundation for a [04:27] future of WordPress with AI in it. Sure, [04:30] it's early, but the team just got [04:32] started 6 months ago. I know that [04:33] because that's one of the blog posts the [04:35] executive director wrote. WordPress [04:37] wins. We continue to see the dominance [04:39] of WordPress, which is awesome. 43% of [04:42] the web, 60% of the CMS market, 49.4% [04:46] of the top 10,000 websites globally, and [04:48] Woo Commerce runs on 8.9% of all [04:50] websites. It's truly amazing. [04:53] Highlighting the broadening adoption of [04:55] WordPress around the globe and [04:56] especially in traditional education [04:58] programs should signal that WordPress [05:00] still has a lot of opportunity ahead. [05:02] Really excited for WordPress's future, [05:04] especially Woo Commerce. I've been [05:06] speaking to a lot of people that are on [05:07] the outside of WordPress looking in to [05:09] invest in the space. They're looking to [05:11] acquire products, agencies, or service [05:13] businesses. When they ask about the [05:15] opportunity, to me, it's two areas. Woo [05:18] Commerce number one feels like it's just [05:20] getting started. Lots of headroom here [05:21] and I think the team is doing great work [05:24] which might not be getting enough [05:26] credit. Building with WordPress will be [05:28] great again. As much as the naysayers [05:30] fill your extreme or toxic Facebook [05:32] groups, there's a revived feeling of [05:34] interest in building with WordPress. [05:36] We'll see that resurgence of agency work [05:38] again. While we might not be getting [05:40] shiny new toys this year, 6.9 feeling a [05:42] bit flat. I know it's all setting the [05:44] groundwork for something better. Look at [05:47] where we've come over the past year. [05:48] Scorched earth ending 2024, court cases [05:51] and tons of trademark issues, automatic [05:52] stop, major contributions, community [05:54] felt collapse, real world economic [05:56] uncertainty and layoffs. Give yourself [05:58] and WordPress some grace as you reflect. [06:00] The back half of this year did trend to [06:02] a more positive outcome than I had [06:04] imagined it would given how we ended [06:06] 2024 and started this year. WordPress [06:08] faced real weighted challenges. It still [06:10] does. And while the ball is mostly an [06:12] automatic court to correct, I give them [06:14] credit for realigning before the ball [06:17] drops. I know WordPress 6.9 is less than [06:19] 24 hours old, but I'm already looking [06:21] forward to what's next in 7.0 and [06:25] beyond. What about you?  ## 📺 Video ![](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc) --- # 📄 Full Transcript *Auto-generated from YouTube captions · timestamps roughly every 30 seconds · [watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-tM5Iqhfgc)* **[00:00]** State of the Word 2025. It's a vibe. WordPress unwrapped its new version 6.9 at the annual State of the Word hosted by Matt Mulleng at top a tower in San Francisco this week. A holiday tradition that reminds us of the gift that WordPress is for all involved. From agency owners using it as a backbone of their business to the hobbyist blogger publishing pros, the WordPress community should embrace the success of 2025 because it certainly looked grim back in January. Sadly, the live stream was powered by a lump of coal. So, those of us on the outside couldn't enjoy the **[00:31]** presentation live along with our peers that attended in person. Like most of you, I had to catch the replay on YouTube, which was fine, but it did stifle some of that holiday cheer. If Tokyo was the minimal viable product, framing State of the Word as Automatics Apple Day, this year's version was merely a beta release. I can't help but feel like 12-year-old me unwrapping the sweater my aunt Jane got me for Christmas while my mom poked me in the shoulder. Hold it up and show everyone while my brother shot plastic missiles from his new Transformer toy at my face. **[01:03]** At least we'll look good in school photos. Here's my thoughts on State of the Word 2025. The presentation, it didn't have that same weight as Tokyo did. Maybe because it wasn't on a literal stage or because the live stream kept breaking, but it didn't have that state-of-the-art feel. It was more like a meetup. When I criticize Automatic for taking the reigns as the company behind WordPress, it isn't because I think it's a bad thing. It's because I want them to represent WordPress and our community in the best way possible. This presentation wasn't it. It lacked that pizzazz a **[01:33]** release day and capstone event needs. I'm still unsure what the role of the executive director of WordPress actually is. Maybe it's just the past I'm holding on to. Where's the fusion between the community and open source WordPress and Automatic and someone to fortify all of these important pillars that hold us up? Guidance and leadership, not just vanity stats on a slide deck. When Automatic and WordPress wants to hear from non-developers, the non-developer crowd and creators specifically, Ann McCarthy comes knocking on my door. She's **[02:04]** bridging a communication gap, and I thank her for her efforts. Rich Taber regularly pings me to ask about Gutenberg stuff. Woo has a fleet of people that I can chat with about Woo Commerce, and I'm not even selling anything. The last address to the community on the make blog from the executive director was back in November 2024. All other posts have been strictly operational. In my opinion, it's possible the executive director role is less about community and communication and more about drawing the lines between WordPress the product and WordPress the open- source tool. Ripping the band-aid **[02:35]** off was part of my prediction this year. Anyway, Matt Mullen, for all of his faults and criticism, I do believe he wants open source to win. He has a desire to push people to publish and own their own corner of the internet. and he doesn't really even force it to be on WordPress.com or automatic products. If it were me, you better believe I'd be telling you the best place to do this is using my stuff. It's hard for me to put words to it, but I think it's 80% wanting WordPress and open source to win and 20% how can automatic become this commercial juggernaut behind it. And I **[03:06]** think that's where he really struggles. And then that friction bears on to us and the community. There's a moment on the AI panel where Mary tees up a softball closing question to him and he just passes. A more enterprising CEO would have had a call to action or a more capitalistic take. Or maybe he was just tired. Maybe I'm just being naive. He's still pushing for WordPress to be the easiest CMS to transfer to, or the gold standard, as he puts it, shining light on data liberation again through the lens of the new WordPress importer that now lets you rewrite URLs on import. Short of commenting on future **[03:38]** collaboration features of WordPress 7 and taking a seat on that AI panel, there wasn't much what's next from Matt this year. WordPress and AI. WordPress role in the AI era has so much to talk about, but with so little to show. Hold your criticism horses. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. This stuff is moving fast. We don't have a standard of any of it yet. And we're talking about rewriting a 20-year-old piece of software to meet technology, which is basically being powered by investors hopes and dreams. Traces of it are beginning to appear **[04:09]** with the AI experiments plugin showing up in the repo. Match that up with the new abilities API in 6.9. Sprinkle in a dash of Woo Commerce MCP and we've got the fixings for a holiday punch that will surely get you in the spirit. Like the 12 months of WordPress releases, the AI stuff that James Leage and team are producing set the foundation for a future of WordPress with AI in it. Sure, it's early, but the team just got started 6 months ago. I know that because that's one of the blog posts the executive director wrote. WordPress wins. We continue to see the dominance **[04:39]** of WordPress, which is awesome. 43% of the web, 60% of the CMS market, 49.4% of the top 10,000 websites globally, and Woo Commerce runs on 8.9% of all websites. It's truly amazing. Highlighting the broadening adoption of WordPress around the globe and especially in traditional education programs should signal that WordPress still has a lot of opportunity ahead. Really excited for WordPress's future, especially Woo Commerce. I've been speaking to a lot of people that are on the outside of WordPress looking in to invest in the space. They're looking to **[05:11]** acquire products, agencies, or service businesses. When they ask about the opportunity, to me, it's two areas. Woo Commerce number one feels like it's just getting started. Lots of headroom here and I think the team is doing great work which might not be getting enough credit. Building with WordPress will be great again. As much as the naysayers fill your extreme or toxic Facebook groups, there's a revived feeling of interest in building with WordPress. We'll see that resurgence of agency work again. While we might not be getting shiny new toys this year, 6.9 feeling a **[05:42]** bit flat. I know it's all setting the groundwork for something better. Look at where we've come over the past year. Scorched earth ending 2024, court cases and tons of trademark issues, automatic stop, major contributions, community felt collapse, real world economic uncertainty and layoffs. Give yourself and WordPress some grace as you reflect. The back half of this year did trend to a more positive outcome than I had imagined it would given how we ended 2024 and started this year. WordPress faced real weighted challenges. It still does. And while the ball is mostly an automatic court to correct, I give them **[06:14]** credit for realigning before the ball drops. I know WordPress 6.9 is less than 24 hours old, but I'm already looking forward to what's next in 7.0 and beyond. What about you?