Automattic

Automattic files counterclaims against WP Engine in WordPress lawsuit, alleging trademark misuse

Commerce /

On Friday, WordPress maker Automattic filed its counterclaims in the lawsuit initiated by hosting company WP Engine in October 2024, which had accused Automattic and its CEO, Matt Mullenweg, of defamation and abuse of power. Automattic believes that WP Engine has been abusing the WordPress trademark and has engaged in deceptive marketing practices, without properly giving back to the open source community. […]

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Automattic CEO calls Tumblr his ‘biggest failure’ so far

Apps /

WordPress co-founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg called the company’s Tumblr acquisition his biggest failure — but one he hasn’t given up on yet. The comments were made at the recent WordCamp Canada 2025 conference, where Mullenweg went live for a Town Hall session to connect with the open source-focused WordPress community. The exec noted

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WordPress shows off Telex, its experimental AI development tool

Apps /

Web publishing platform WordPress is introducing an early version of an AI development tool, which CEO Matt Mullenweg described as a “V0 or Lovable, but specifically for WordPress” — V0 and Lovable being references to popular “vibe coding” services for building software using prompt-based, AI interfaces. Mullenweg introduced the new WordPress AI tool, called Telex,

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Beeper’s all-in-one messaging app relaunches with an on-device model and premium upgrades

Apps /

Multi-service messaging app Beeper, which allows people to connect to all their chat apps from one interface, is relaunching its app on Wednesday to offer a more secure version that no longer requires use of its own cloud services. In addition, Beeper is introducing premium offerings that provide access to more accounts than its free

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Automattic acquires relationship manager Clay to add an identity layer to online tools

Apps /

After acquiring universal messaging apps Beeper and Texts.com, WordPress.com owner Automattic has added another communication-focused startup to its lineup: relationship-management app Clay. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Clay had so far raised over $9 million in venture capital from investors like General Catalyst and Forerunner Ventures. The tool will continue to

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Automattic says it will start contributing to WordPress again after pause

Enterprise /

WordPress.com parent company Automattic is changing direction… again. In a blog post titled “Returning to Core” published Thursday evening, Automattic announced it will unpause its contributions to the WordPress project. This is despite having said only last month that the 6.8 WordPress release would be the final major release for all of 2025. “After pausing

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WordPress maker Automattic lays off 16% of staff

Commerce /

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce, and a range of other online services, is reducing its workforce. The layoffs will impact 16% of staff across divisions, an Automattic blog post published Wednesday reveals. Ahead of the layoffs, Automattic’s website listed 1,744 employees, which means north of 270 people may have lost their jobs. (Automattic

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Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg talks succession — ‘I don’t want to pass it to a committee’

Enterprise /

Calls for WordPress co-founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg to step down from his leadership role have increased in recent months amid his controversial fight and legal battle with hosting company WP Engine. Mullenweg not only intends to stay, he’s also thinking about how he plans to manage succession planning. He doesn’t want to pass

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Tumblr backs Tapestry, a timeline app for the open social web

Social /

Automattic-owned blogging site and social platform Tumblr has financially backed Tapestry, the newly launched app designed to organize feeds from across the open web, including RSS, Mastodon, Bluesky, and others. Launched as a Kickstarter project in January 2024, Tapestry went on to raise over $177,000 via crowdfunding for its app, which opened up to the

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