Issue #223 | June 10, 2025 | Reading time: 18 mins
Hello!
This week on The WP Week Newsletter, we cover the FAIR Initiative, the View Transitions experimental plugin, rebranding of Do the Woo to Openchannels.fm, new launches from AspirePress, exciting 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, Omnisend, and WP Job Openings
🗣️TALK OF THE TOWN
A new initiative called FAIR, short for Federated and Independent Repositories, aims to reduce reliance on the centralized WordPress.org platform by creating a distributed system for managing core updates, plugins, themes, translations, and other critical services.
Launched at Alt Ctrl Org, an independently organized event and coordinated by de Valk and Crowd Favorite CEO Karim Marucchi, in partnership with the Linux Foundation, the project’s Technical Steering Committee is led by co-chairs Carrie Dils, Mika Epstein, and Ryan McCue.
📰 WORDPRESS & AROUND
All the updates around WordPress and its closely related technologies
WordCamp Europe 2025 brought together over 1,700 in-person and 20,000+ online attendees in Basel, Switzerland, for three days of collaboration, learning, and inspiration. The event featured 52 speakers from 23 countries, 45 sessions, and hands-on workshops. The event closed with reflections from Matt Mullenweg and Mary Hubbard, and WordCamp Europe 2026 will take place in Kraków, Poland.
- What’s new in Gutenberg 20.4 and 20.5: The two releases introduce changes such as editor now remembers the ‘Show Template’ preference set by the user, Query Loop block now supports sorting posts by menu order and many more enhancements and bug fixes.
- Criteria for creating or migrating repositories under the WordPress GitHub organization: New criteria have been introduced to guide which projects can be hosted under the official WordPress GitHub organization. Repositories must be community-maintained, well-documented, and meet quality and transparency standards.
- The code review flaw in the workflow: An existing flaw in the WordPress patch workflow, where patch testing and code review are not clearly separated, leading to inefficiencies and trust issues. It proposes adding a new workflow keyword to improve communication and streamline the review process.
- Announcing Second Deputy in WordPress Training Team Deputy Representative Program: Rade Jekić has been appointed as the second Deputy Rep for Q3 2025. The role runs on a quarterly basis, with responsibilities including meeting facilitation, project management, and team support. Applications for the next term (Q4 2025) open on October 1, 2025. Interested contributors can apply via the Training Team’s Slack channel.
- WooCommerce 9.9 released: The latest version brings a new product block, selective product exports, automatic database updates, and more. The team has also released WooCommerce 9.9.1 – 9.9.3 that includes fixes to stabilize the 9.9.x release. The team has also called for feedback related to the settings import/export with Blueprints.
- 9,000 WordPress sites affected by arbitrary file upload and deletion vulnerabilities in WP User Frontend Pro WordPress plugin: The vulnerability that can be used by authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to upload arbitrary files to a vulnerable site and achieve remote code execution, which is typically leveraged for a complete site takeover was patched recently.
- 33,000 WordPress sites affected by privilege escalation vulnerability in RealHomes WordPress theme: The vulnerability that can be used by authenticated attackers, with subscriber-level access and above, to grant themselves administrative privileges by updating their user role has been patched. The issue only critically impacts sites where the “Show user role option in profile” setting is enabled, a setting that is disabled by default.
- Malware masquerades as legitimate, hidden WordPress plugin with remote code execution capabilities: Wordfence discovered a cleverly disguised malware posing as a fake plugin named ‘WooCommerce Product Add-ons.’ The malware uses this naming tactic to appear more trustworthy. It hides from the admin dashboard, offers remote code execution (RCE), and can exfiltrate sensitive admin data and cookies to a hacker-controlled server.
- Automattic recognized as one of the world’s most loved workplaces: Automattic has been ranked 49th on Newsweek’s Global Most Loved Workplaces 2025 list.
- Newly released data shows desktop AI search referrals dominate: BrightEdge Enterprise SEO platform released new data showing distinctive patterns across major AI search and chatbot platforms and also called attention to potential disruption from Apple if it breaks with Google as the default search engine in Safari.
- Microsoft Clarity announces natural language access to analytics: Microsoft Clarity announced their new Model Context Protocol (MCP) server which enables developers, AI users and SEOs to query Clarity Analytics data with natural language prompts via AI.
- Claude’s hidden system prompts offer a peek into how chatbots work: Anthropic released the underlying system prompts that control their Claude chatbot’s responses, showing how they are tuned to be engaging to humans with encouraging and judgment-free dialog that naturally leads to discovery.
💵 INVESTMENTS, ACQUISITIONS & PARTNERSHIPS
- WP Mayor partners up with Coursera: WP Mayor has partnered with Coursera to offer industry-focused WordPress and AI courses with recognized certifications to boost your resume and career.
👥 COMMUNITY NEWS
Updates and News from the WordPress Community
AspireUpdate is a WordPress plugin that allows site owners to update their software from their preferred repository, including WordPress.org and even from the new ones that may appear. Alongside this, they previewed AspireExplorer, a tool for browsing and searching the software repository.
- Do the Woo Rebrands as OpenChannels.fm: After years of growing and evolving, Do the Woo, originally launched by Bob Dunn in 2016 as a WooCommerce-focused podcast, is stepping into a new chapter with a fresh rebrand, now known as OpenChannels.fm.
- Robert DeVore steps away from WordPress: Robert DeVore, a long-time WordPress developer and contributor, has announced his departure from the WordPress ecosystem after 20 years of involvement. From now on, he will no longer maintain his plugins or participate in community discussions. Instead, he’s focusing on his new projects: Stattic, a static site generator, and Devio Chat, an AI tool for creators.
- SiteGround alerts users to beware of phishing emails: As announced on X, SiteGround has noticed phishing emails pretending to be from them targeting customers and asking for payment information for hosting renewals. They have urged users to stay alert.
- Patchstack AI code review tool and Security Suite for plugin vendors: Patchstack has launched a new version of its mVDP platform featuring an AI-powered code review tool, team management, and a discussion board to help plugin developers enhance security more efficiently.
- WP Engine celebrates 15 years of fueling the open web: WP Engine is celebrating its 15-year anniversary, marking a journey from a small startup in 2010 to a global leader in WordPress hosting.
- New and improved Code Snippets Cloud UI: The new Code Snippets Cloud UI has launched with a fresh, unified design that aligns with the main site for a seamless user experience. The update includes a redesigned horizontal navigation menu, simpler terminology, improved functionality for managing snippets and teams, and enhanced profile customization.
- WP Umbrella now includes Site Protect, a new security add-on powered by Patchstack: Aurelio Volle announced the launch of the new add-on, which protects against exploitation of unpatched plugin/theme vulnerabilities, Brute-force & spam protection, Clickjacking, and XSS via HTTP response headers, and much more.
- Topher DeRosia has contributed 1000 photos to the WordPress Photo Directory: The milestone was highlighted by Marcus Burnette on X.
🚀 NEW PROJECTS
- Introducing Klasio by weDevs: weDevs has launched a new LMS Platform called Klasio. The platform allows users to build and sell courses, run live Zoom/Meet classes, and much more.
- Introducing FluentCart: Md Shahjahan has unveiled FluentCart, a 100% self-hosted and open-source full-featured eCommerce solution for WordPress. It’s feature-packed with everything from store management, product handling, marketing and growth tools, analytics, and much more.
- RunCloud announces, Arch: Arch offers a complete toolkit to run your own hosting platform on AWS, UpCloud, Vultr, and other cloud providers.
- Filter AI plugin, waitlist now open: Filter Agency has opened up the waitlist for their upcoming plugin Filter AI, a plugin that integrates AI-powered content creation tools directly into your workflow. It offers features like generating ALT text, creating post excerpts and titles, suggesting tags, rewriting or expanding text, and writing WooCommerce product descriptions.
- Upcoming Pattern Builder plugin: An upcoming plugin for creating and managing reusable patterns. Interested folks can join the early access program.
- New Figma to WordPress Automation plugin: This new plugin by Fueled, automatically converts the Figma Variables into the theme.json structure for WordPress Themes.
- All new View Transitions Plugin: Felix Arntz, a member of the WordPress Core Performance Team, announced the release of a new experimental plugin called View Transitions. It uses the cross-document View Transitions API to add better transition effect when moving between pages on your WordPress site.
- Baselayer theme by Brian Gardner: Baselayer is the lightweight foundation beneath the versatile Powder theme. Built for clarity and speed, it reflects thoughtful simplicity and natively supports the block editor.
- New WC & WP Events app: Sirvelia, creators of Ploogins, have launched a new app, WC & WP Events, and it features official WordCamp listings, speakers, sessions you can bookmark, and also has a section for highlighting event sponsors. The app is now available on the App Store and Google Play.
🔖 INTERESTING READS & PODCASTS
More posts and podcasts from the WordPress Community you don’t want to miss
- BlackRock further devalues its investment in Automattic: Sam Sidler highlighted that BlackRock further devalued its shares in Automattic, now valuing it at just 36.5% of its 2021 Series E valuation. From Delta.
- The road to WordCamp Europe: reflections and anticipation: Marieke van de Rakt reflects on returning to WordCamp Europe 2025 as a sponsor after a controversial ban from WordPress events. Though happy to be back, she questions the lack of transparency around the ban and unbanning. From Progress Planner.
- In conversation with Joe Hoyle: Joe Hoyle, co-founder and CTO of Human Made, shares insights on balancing work and family life, having shifted from intense 12-hour workdays to a more manageable eight-hour routine. Joe remains passionate about the WordPress community and reflects on Human Made’s growth and future tech trends like AI reshaping the industry.. From Seriously, Bud?
- Why I’m not jazzed about FAIR: Matt Medeiros explores the new FAIR (Federated and Independent Repository) package manager launched under the Linux Foundation. While FAIR aims to decentralize WordPress plugin and theme distribution, Matt questions its real-world impact for freelancers and agencies. From The WP Minute.
- The WordPress AI fightback begins!: Jamie Marsland and James LaPage (one of the WP AI team’s leaders) sit down to discuss their mission, the team members, and what this means for the future of WordPress. From WordPress YouTube.
- Innovation in WordPress: a look at plugin development: Joost de Valk, along with Marieke van de Rakt, explored whether WordPress plugin development is now the main source of innovation in the ecosystem. While plugin submissions are increasing, most new plugins fail to gain traction. From Joost de Valk.
- Tammie Lister’s May in WordPress: Tammie Lister’s May update highlights her work on clearing backlogs and preparing for WordCamp Europe. She focused on closing tickets in Trac and the Gutenberg repo, organizing the design queue, and improving reporting for backlog management.
- The heart of open source: In her talk “The Heart of Open Source” at the Alt Ctrl Org event, Sé Reed highlights that WordPress was built and continues to thrive through global collaboration, not individual control. From The WP Community Collective.
- Why WordPress keeps winning: What users love and how to avoid plugin fatigue: The survey reveals that 67% choose WordPress for ease of use, 63% say it’s become even easier over time, 63% manage plugins smoothly; 37% report fatigue from manual updates, hosting limitations, or a lack of automation, among other key findings. From Liquid Web.
- Is WordPress losing its way?: Sam Alderson reflects on the project’s growing tensions and calls for openness, accountability, and space for diverse voices. From Sam Alderson.
- FluentCart: Cutting through complexity with self-hosted e-commerce by WordPress ninjas: In this piece, Alex de Borba explores the recently announced FluentCart, a new self-hosted e-commerce plugin by WPManageNinja for WordPress users who want simplicity, speed, and full control over their data.
- Is FluentCart the future of WordPress e-commerce?: Pascal Claro provided his first reaction to the upcoming FluentCart. From WP Roads – Pascal Claro.
- Jake Goldman talks agency mergers and rebranding: In this episode Eric Karkovack welcomes Jake Goldman, founder of 10up and now a Partner at Fueled, to talk about a major agency evolution. Jake shares the journey from founding 10up in 2011 to its merger with Fueled in 2023, culminating in a rebrand that sees the combined entity operating under the Fueled name. From The WP Minute.
- How to sell WordPress to enterprise clients: 8 strategies for agencies: This article outlines eight key strategies to help you reposition WordPress as an enterprise-ready solution. From Kinsta.
🛠 GUIDE ZONE – HOWTO’S and MORE
Handpicked fresh guides from WordPress circle
- How to Redirect a Page in WordPress (with a Plugin or .htaccess): From Jetpack
- Set up Visual Studio Code and xDebug as the ultimate editor for WordPress development: From Delicious Brains
📆 SAVE THE DATES
Do not miss a WordPress event ever again
- Women of Web Digital Summit 2025: Registration for the three-day conference for web designers scheduled for June 18–20, 2025, is now open.
- WPCampus 2025 on July 23–25, 2025: The call for proposals is now open.
- WordCamp US on August 26-29, 2025: The call for organizers and sponsor applications is now open.
- SomeConf 2025: The event is in the early planning stages. The call for sponsors and speakers is now live.
- WordCamp Canada on October 16-17 2025: The call for sponsors is now open.
- WordCamp Asia 2026: It is tentatively planned for early February 2026 and the call for organizers is now open.
🎁 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)
- 10% off on monthly & annual plans at SureTriggers (Coupon Code- WPCONTENT10)
- 15% off yearly plans at Videvo (Coupon Code – WPV15)
MORE DEALS
- Up to 50% off on BookingPress plugin
- Up to 70% off on Shared Hosting plans at InMotion Hosting (Till May 29, 2025)
- 50% off for the first 6 months on all monthly standard plans at Kinsta
- 50% off 3 months on Liquid Web’s Bare Metal server hosting
- 20% off for Constellation plugin
- 60% off for the lifetime plan for the Modern Cart for WooCommerce plugin.
This weekly newsletter is kindly sponsored by awesome WordPress Companies 🦸♂️🙌
Last but not least, updates from WP-CONTENT.CO 👇
A new initiative called FAIR, short for Federated and Independent Repositories, aims to reduce reliance on the centralized…
After years of growing and evolving, Do the Woo, originally launched by Bob Dunn in 2016 as a…
After the resounding success of last year’s inaugural edition, WordPress Campus Connect 2025 Ajmer is all set for…
In a move to expand representation in the WordPress ecosystem, Automattic has launched the Open Horizons Scholarship, a…
Team WP-CONTENT.CO
Issue #223 | June 10, 2025 | Reading time: 18 mins
This weekly newsletter is kindly sponsored by Kinsta, Omnisend, and WP Job Openings
Built with Newsletter Glue.