Issue #244 | November 4, 2025 | Reading time: 19 mins
Hello!
This week on The WP Week Newsletter, we cover the new trademark notice issued by Automattic to Kevin Geary, the layoffs at StellarWP, the State of the Word 2025, a new update to Plugin Check Plugin, which automatically scans plugin updates and generates a security report, new projects, and more.
Don’t forget to subscribe and listen to the podcast version of this newsletter, where you can hear more details and discussions about these topics and more.
See you next week!
Team WP-CONTENT.CO
🙌 This weekly newsletter is kindly sponsored by Kinsta, WP Shell and WP Job Openings
🗣️TALK OF THE TOWN
Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has sent a legal notice to Kevin Geary, the creator of Automatic.css, over the use of a name that the company says is “nearly identical” to its own. Matt Mullenweg commented on Kevin’s public post on X, stating, “ We also own automatic.com. You had to know this was a fraught naming area.”
📰 WORDPRESS & AROUND
All the updates around WordPress and its closely related technologies
The WordPress Plugins Team, along with the Meta Team, has introduced a new feature for the Plugin Check Plugin (PCP) that automatically generates security reports for all plugin updates, further strengthening the platform’s ongoing commitment to safety and code quality within its ecosystem.
- WordPress 6.9 Beta 2 released: The beta version is open to testing and includes over 33 Editor updates and fixes since the Beta 1 release, including 28 tickets for WordPress core.
- Progress update from WordPress AI Team: The WordPress Core AI team hit a major milestone with the Abilities API merged into the WordPress 6.9 Beta, completing its server-side integration. Next, the team will focus on the client-side code, and work continues on the AI Experiments plugin, PHP AI Client, and a major MCP Adapter refactor.
- What’s New for WordPress Developers – October 2025: In this month’s roundup, Ryan Welcher (Developer Advocate at Automattic) walks through all the key updates for WordPress developers from Gutenberg enhancements to performance upgrades and exciting new tools.
- State of the Word 2025: This year’s event will take place on December 2, 2025, in San Francisco, the same day as the official release of WordPress. Attendees can expect live demos, previews of upcoming features, and a Q&A session with Matt Mullenweg.
- WordPress Campus Connect Cartago COVAO 2025: The event held at the BeeNova HHC Innovation Center in Costa Rica, marked the first-ever Campus Connect event in Latin America. Led by Lidia Arroyo Vargas and a dedicated team, it brought together students from COVAO for workshops, mentorship, and a five-session WebChallenge, where participants created real WordPress websites.
- WordCamp Islamabad 2025 – A celebration of learning, contribution, and community: It brought together students, professionals, and WordPress enthusiasts for two days of learning and collaboration and featured a Contributor Day for first-time contributors and a Conference Day with talks and workshops on development, design, and community building.
- Two critical vulnerabilities in WordPress King Addons for Elementor plugin affecting 10k+ sites: An unauthenticated arbitrary file upload and a privilege escalation bug that allowed attackers to upload malicious files or gain administrator access without logging in. Both issues have now been patched in .
- 100,000 WordPress sites affected by arbitrary file read vulnerability in Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall WordPress plugin: The flaw allowed authenticated users (subscriber-level and above) to read arbitrary files on the server, and the vulnerability was patched in the latest version.
- Attackers actively exploiting critical vulnerability in WP Freeio plugin: A critical privilege-escalation bug in the WP Freeio plugin (≤v1.2.21) let unauthenticated attackers assign themselves administrator roles and fully compromise sites. It was patched in v1.2.22 but was actively exploited from Oct 10 onwards.
- Rogue WordPress plugin conceals multi-tiered credit card skimmers in fake PNG files: Wordfence uncovered a sophisticated malware campaign targeting WordPress WooCommerce sites, where attackers hid multi-layered credit card skimmers inside fake PNG image files packaged as rogue plugins. The malware steals admin credentials and payment data, uses custom encryption and AJAX backdoors for persistence, and updates its payloads dynamically from remote servers.
- WooCommerce 10.3.4: Dot release: The release is now available and focuses on script performance updates and a number of fixes targeting the PayPal payment gateway integration.
- Discounted ChatGPT Go is now available in 98 countries: ChatGPT Go, OpenAI’s heavily discounted version of ChatGPT, is now available in 98 countries, including eight European countries and five Latin American countries.
- Google Labs & DeepMind launch Pomelli AI marketing tool: Google Labs, in partnership with Google DeepMind, introduced Pomelli, an AI experiment designed to help small-to-medium-sized businesses generate on-brand marketing campaigns. The tool is now in public beta in English in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Microsoft locks in OpenAI partnership through 2032: Microsoft and OpenAI signed a deal extending Microsoft’s rights to OpenAI models through 2032, confirming a 27% stake worth $135B.
💵 INVESTMENTS, ACQUISITIONS & PARTNERSHIPS
- Modular DS announces partnership with Patchstack: The partnership now gives Modular DS access to Patchstack’s vast vulnerability database, enabling early vulnerability detection. Also, they have released a new Patch & Protect add-on that adds active protection through virtual patching, which blocks exploits before official updates are released, and hardening rules that hide sensitive information, disable risky features, and add security headers.
- HubSpot to acquire XFunnel: HubSpot is acquiring XFunnel, a platform that helps businesses understand and improve how their brand appears in AI-generated answers from tools like ChatGPT and Claude.
👥 COMMUNITY NEWS
Updates and News from the WordPress Community
BobWP marks this milestone by revisiting how the podcast has evolved, from featuring 565 guests and working with 39 hosts to taking on a new identity as “Open Channels FM” after years as “Do the Woo.” He talks about what went into the rebrand, the lessons learned along the way, what’s coming next, and shares appreciation for the community and sponsors who’ve supported the show’s journey..
- Layoffs hit StellarWP: StellarWP’s David Johnson reflected on the recent layoffs, stating, “ Today, I am deeply saddened by the loss of a number of incredible colleagues at StellarWP / Liquid Web.” Devin Walker also expressed his thoughts on the recent layoffs, “ While I understand that business health, growth, and innovation are essential, private equity often takes a hard edge, putting profits over people and disregarding morale. The truth is that happy teams create great products.” The layoff has affected long-term employees such as Ben Meredith (Director of Customer Service and Support at StellarWP and Liquid Web) and Taylor Waldon (Product owner for LearnDash).
- Google is hiring a Staff Software Engineer for SiteKit: The responsibilities will be to lead SiteKit’s engineering, connecting it with Google’s ecosystem, driving AI-powered innovation, understanding web creators’ needs, and aligning with teams across Search, Ads, and other products.
- Beeper launches $50K bounty program: Beeper is inviting developers to build new chat “bridges” that connect its app to more messaging networks like WeChat, Snapchat, Teams, and others. Using Beeper’s Matrix bridgev2 (in Go), contributors can earn bounties of up to $50K for creating and open-sourcing new integrations.
- Hostinger ranks 2nd among Europe’s long-term growth champions: Hostinger was ranked 2nd in the Financial Times and Statista’s Long-term Growth Champions: Europe 2026 special report, which highlights European companies that have achieved sustained revenue growth over the past decade.
- Bluehost has launched self-managed VPS: The new offering is designed for developers who want full control and flexibility. With no pre-installed software, it lets users build and customize their environment freely, delivering performance, security, and independence.
- dev/ai/nyc event by Automattic: The event scheduled to take place on November 5 will feature John Borthwick (Betaworks founder and CEO) and Matt Mullenweg, where they explore the future of the open web and human-centered AI.
- PressConf 2026 sponsorships are now open: The sponsorship packages are offered in three tiers, starting with Spark Sponsor ($3500), Glow Sponsor ( $7500) and Marquee Partner ($17500). There are also several add-on packages available to Glow Sponsor and Marquee Partner.
- WPBakery Experts launched: WPBakery has launched a new WPBakery Experts page in its Customer Center to connect users with trusted agencies and freelancers who specialize in building websites using WPBakery. These experts are vetted partners who know the plugin thoroughly, often developing custom elements and contributing feedback as beta testers. The first two featured experts are Codeable and WP Kraken.
- Jono Alderson shared a map of how WordPress’s ecosystem ties back to Matt: He says that while WordPress powers over 40% of the web, it lacks transparency and shared governance, with much of its control and influence ultimately leading back to Matt Mullenweg.
- Aurooba Ahmed shared her experience in creating her first vibe coding project: She shared her experience in building a WordPress plugin in under an hour using Cursor AI. She also highlighted that the experience felt like pair programming and showed how AI can help developers build faster without replacing their judgment.
🚀 NEW PROJECTS
- All new Ability Explorer: A WordPress plugin created by Tammie Lister, that discovers, inspects, tests, and documents all abilities registered via the WordPress 6.9+ Abilities API from core, plugins, and themes.
- Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer: A plugin designed to combat link rot, the gradual decay of web links as pages are moved, changed, or taken down. Matt Mullenweg also wrote a short post about it.
- PodLoom plugin: A WordPress plugin by Matt Medeiros at The WP Minute that allows you to connect to your Transistor.fm account and embed podcast episodes using Gutenberg blocks.
- Introducing Plugin Curator: Created by Nick Hamze, the plugin allows users to curate and manage the featured plugins list from a remote JSON source while pulling real, up-to-date data from WordPress.org.
- Introducing Interactions: The plugin lets users add animations, effects, and interactive features directly from the block editor.
- InnerCircle launched by Atarim: Atarim has launched InnerCircle, a team of six AI teammates, including a designer, UX expert, copywriter, SEO specialist, QA tester, and project manager, that work directly inside live websites and mockups.
- LCP Optimizer Universal PRO: A plugin to automatically optimize Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) with zero configuration required.
- WordPress Plugin GitHub Copilot Instructions: A WordPress plugin created by Jonathan Bossenger to create Copilot instructions that can be used in AI-assisted plugin development scenarios.
- Today RSS Reader: Jake Spurlock (Senior Director, Customer Success at Automattic) has launched Today, a new RSS reader for iOS.
- Hide WP Login SAML-Aware: The plugin created by Mark Puckett allows users to hide the default WordPress login page with a custom URL while preserving SAML authentication functionality.
- Nettingale Benchmark: A performance benchmarking plugin created by Radoslav Stefanov that generates reproducible test datasets with real posts, comments, and images, and is also 100% local with zero data collection.
- CraftCareer launched: An AI-powered platform that helps you create and optimize career documents like resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and cover letters.
🔖 INTERESTING READS & PODCASTS
More posts and podcasts from the WordPress Community you don’t want to miss
- In conversation with Michelle Huffaker: Bud Krauss conversed with Michelle Huffaker, and explored her journey from a creative upbringing in New Orleans to a successful career in web design and WordPress. From Seriously, Bud?
- Arnas Donauskas on AI-powered troubleshooting for websites: Arnas Donauskas, Product Manager at Hostinger, discusses how AI is transforming website management and troubleshooting. Drawing from his WordCamp US talk, he explains how Hostinger’s AI tools automatically detect and fix site errors, optimize performance, and assist users in building and maintaining websites. From WP Tavern Jukebox.
- The Fediverse and WordPress should be better friends: Steve Burge conversed with Evan Prodromou about the origin of Fediverse, the evolution of protocols and privacy, commercial interest in the Fediverse, and much more. From Publish Press.
- Compliance meets code: The Cyber Resilience Act through a WordPress lens: Robert Abela sits down with Oliver Sild, Founder & CEO of Patchstack to unpack what the CRA is, who it affects, and how the WordPress community can prepare. From vulnerability disclosure to long-term update requirements, this discussion breaks down the regulation into clear, practical insights. From Melapress.
- Attribution by Crossword: Jonathan and Luke discuss the copying of plugins and the history of doing so in the WordPress ecosystem.
- The role learning plays in your freelance growth: Eric Karkovack emphasizes that continuous learning is essential for freelancers to stay competitive in the fast-changing web and WordPress industry. From mastering new AI tools to adapting to evolving technologies, success depends on consistently updating skills. From The WP Minute.
- How efficiency helps your agency grow: Kurt and Toby discuss the challenges and strategies of running a WordPress agency. They explore the importance of efficiency in managing multiple sites, the necessity of delegation, and effective pricing strategies. From The WP Minute.
- Do lifetime licenses really cost more to support?: An analysis of six years of Barn2’s support data shows that lifetime license customers don’t cost more to support than annual ones. The study concludes that for most WordPress plugins, lifetime licenses can be sustainable and fair. From WP Product Talk.
- Who’s paying for your WordCamp ticket?: Taco Verdonschot explores who truly pays for WordCamp events, revealing that beyond sponsors and attendees, much of the real cost is covered by organizers, volunteers, and speakers through their unpaid time and effort. From Progress Planner.
🛠 GUIDE ZONE – HOWTO’S and MORE
Handpicked fresh guides from WordPress circle
- GitHub Copilot instructions for optimal WordPress plugin development: From Jonathan Bossenger
- How to convert WordPress to a static site & host it for free using Cloudflare: From WPTuts
- Building top-level menus & sub-menus: From WordPress TV
📆 SAVE THE DATES
Do not miss a WordPress event ever again
- WordCamp Athens 2025 on November 8: The schedule and speaker list have been published.
- WordCamp Netherlands 2025 on November 27-28: The tickets are now available.
- WordCamp Brasil 2025 on November 28-29: The call for volunteers and sponsors is open. The tickets are now available.
- WordCamp Nepal 2026 on January 23-24: The early bird tickets are now available, and the call for speakers is now open.
- WordCamp Asia 2026 on April 9-11: The venue has been announced. The call for speakers is now open. The call for sponsors and media partners is also now open.
- SomeConf 2026 on April 22-23: The tickets are now available.
- Checkout Summit 2026 on April 23-24, 2026: The call for sponsors is now open. The early bird tickets are now available.
- WordCamp Europe 2026 on June 4-6: The event is in the early planning stages, and the venue will be the ICE Kraków Congress Centre Kraków, Poland.
🎁 WORDPRESS DEALS OF THE WEEK
Again, these are the best deals of the week, handpicked by yours!
EXCLUSIVE DEALS
- 4 Months free offer on hosting plans of WP Engine (Coupon Code- FREEDOMTOCREATE)
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MORE DEALS
- 30% off for 4 months on Cloudways + 10 Free migrations ( Promo code- TREAT25).
- Up to 50% off on BookingPress plugin
- Up to 50% off on Paid Membership Pro plans.
- Up to $100 OFF Essential Blocks PRO plugin.
- 50% off 3 months on Liquid Web’s Bare Metal server hosting
- 20% off for Constellation plugin
- 50% off on Vecteezy monthly subscription till Oct 24, 2025.
- 7% off for the lifetime plan for the Modern Cart for WooCommerce plugin.
- 33% off for the Uncanny Automator plugin.
This weekly newsletter is kindly sponsored by awesome WordPress Companies 🦸♂️🙌
Last but not least, updates from WP-CONTENT.CO 👇
Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has sent a legal notice to Kevin Geary, the creator of Automatic.css, over…
The WordPress Plugins Team, along with the Meta Team, has introduced a new feature for the Plugin Check…
The WordPress Community Team has issued a new call for developers to assist with enhancements to its event…
A conversation at LoopConf earlier this year has led to a new open-source security initiative called FAIR Software…
Team WP-CONTENT.CO
Issue #244 | November 4, 2025 | Reading time: 19 mins
This weekly newsletter is kindly sponsored by Kinsta, WP Shell and WP Job Openings
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