- \n
- AI is building plugins, but is it also breaking the repo? (Plus: the \u201cvibe coder\u201d problem in one brutal tweet).<\/li>\n
- 22 years old and still the life of the party. WordPress, you magnificent CMS, we raise a glass to you!<\/li>\n
- Genius tools you\u2019ll wish you\u2019d built yourself, including a \/edit cheat code and a post-shuffling script.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hot Off The Presses: What\u2019s New?<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Tweet](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/claude4-code-refactor-tweet.png\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWordPress Plugin Boom or AI Doom?<\/h2>\n
New plugin submissions to WordPress.org have doubled<\/em> in 2025<\/a>, according to the Plugin Review team. That\u2019s right, the plugin ecosystem is thriving like a caffeine-fueled dev during a last-minute launch. Faster reviews, better tooling, and more folks shipping shiny new ideas. What\u2019s not to love?<\/p>\n
Well… maybe how<\/em> they’re getting built.<\/p>\n
According to HubSpot<\/a>, 93% of web designers have used AI in the past 3 months. And over in dev-land, tools like AI code assistants and plugin builders are lowering the barrier to entry faster than you can say \u201cGPT, generate a settings page.\u201d<\/p>\n
But before we roll out the red carpet for our new robot overlords, a word of caution: this AI surge may come with a side of spaghetti code. As The Repository<\/a> reports, there\u2019s growing concern about code quality, long-term maintenance, and what happens when your plugin dev pipeline is basically vibes + autocomplete.<\/p>\n
When WordPress.org<\/a> announced the formation of the WordPress AI team<\/a>, it received a healthy dose of cynical skepticism<\/a> on the internet\u2019s official home of cynical skepticism, Reddit. And even the official WordPress AI website builder was tested and deemed a \u201cwaste of time<\/a>\u201d by tech writer Amanda Smith.<\/p>\n
This viral tweet<\/a> explains the problem pretty clearly. Code can\u2019t be written with vibes alone, you still need version control, implementation plans, testing, documentation, logging\u2026 etc. You know, actual dev stuff.<\/p>\n
And yes, it\u2019s kinda funny, until you’re trying to debug someone\u2019s weekend AI experiment in production.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s not forget that clean code is still a thing<\/a>. Just because AI can generate a plugin doesn\u2019t mean it should, or at least, not without a human double-checking it with more than just a \u201clooks good to me\u201d shrug.<\/p>\n
If we\u2019re not careful, we\u2019re all just one auto-generated shortcode away from a support ticket apocalypse. \ud83e\udd2f We\u2019re just crossing our fingers that WordPress will still give us the option to disable it. \ud83e\udd1e<\/p>\n
Let Them Eat Code: WordPress Turns 22!<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Code-themed](\"https:\/\/wpmudev.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/wordpress-22nd-birthday-cake-code.jpeg\")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWordPress officially turned 22 on May 27th, which means it\u2019s now almost old enough to have a quarter-life crisis, but still too young to rent a car without fees.<\/p>\n
From its humble blogging beginnings in 2003 to powering 43% of the web (and 93% of your in-laws\u2019 small business sites), WordPress has seen it all: the rise of Gutenberg, the fall of classic widgets, and the eternal \u201cAre page builders ruining the web?\u201d debates.<\/p>\n
Over the last two decades, WordPress has quietly shaped the internet more than most people realize. It made publishing accessible, community contributions meaningful, and being a self-taught developer not just possible, but respected. Love it or yell at it, WordPress has been there for us – for side projects, client sites, passion blogs, startups and countless other creative corners of the internet.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s to 22 years of code, community, and that little dashboard we\u2019ve all stared at for so many hours. Happy belated birthday, WordPress. We wouldn’t be here without you. \ud83d\udc99<\/p>\n
\ud83d\udc49 Take a stroll through WordPress history<\/a>
\n\ud83d\udc49 Here\u2019s how the community celebrated<\/a>
\n\ud83d\udc49 Reddit, of course, had thoughts<\/a><\/p>\nHandy Things From Very Smart Folks<\/h2>\n
Because the WordPress community never sleeps (and apparently doesn\u2019t believe in boring tools), here\u2019s a round-up of clever things made by clever people:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Slash Edit by Ronald Huereca:<\/strong>\n
- \n
- Just slap \/edit<\/em> on the end of any content URL and boom, direct edit access. It\u2019s like a cheat code for WordPress admins. So simple, it\u2019s almost criminal.
\n\ud83d\udc49 Check out Slash Edit<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n- 10 GitHub Gems You (Probably) Didn\u2019t Know<\/strong>\n
- \n
- Saketh Kowtha reveals a list of GitHub cheat codes, including secret URLs and overlooked power features, that will have you looking 10x smarter with 0x extra effort.
\n\ud83d\udc49 Read: \u201cHoly forking repositories!\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n- Shuffle Your Evergreen Content Like a DJ<\/strong>\n
- \n
- \u201cEvery day I\u2019m shufflin\u2019\u2026\u201d This tiny-but-mighty script lets you randomize your evergreen posts to keep things fresh. Because your content deserves to be seen, and because randomness is fun.
\n\ud83d\udc49 Get the code<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n- Design Nerd Alert: Compass Template for E-Learning<\/strong>\n
- \n
- Compass is a sleek Tailwind CSS video course template with some tasty design candy treats inside.
\n\ud83d\udc49 Take a peek<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nMind Bloggling Facts & Stats<\/h2>\n
- \n
- WP Speakers currently features almost 200 speakers, sharing their hot takes in a wide range of formats from in-person talks to podcast interviews and virtual webinars. (Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- According to a new WP Engine report, WordPress can cost up to 44% less than platforms like Adobe Experience Manager. (Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Patchstack has officially surpassed Microsoft as the #1 CVE coordinator in the world. Cheers for keeping us all safer, Patchstack team! (Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Blogs & Resources You Shouldn\u2019t Miss<\/h2>\n
- \n
- Turns out your WordPress site can<\/em> be charming, responsive, and emotionally available (unlike your recent Tinder matches, amirite?) Get the scoop from Codeable on the Interactivity API<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Want to stay legal and not creepy? Here\u2019s the WordPress dev\u2019s privacy playbook for 2025<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- Equalize Digital just dropped updates to Accessibility Checker<\/a> that improve accuracy and performance. Fewer false positives, more peace of mind.<\/li>\n
- Pocket\u2019s gone. But don\u2019t worry, there are plenty more ways<\/a> to pretend you\u2019ll \u2018read it later.\u2019<\/li>\n
- Get the tea on all things Basel from the WordCamp Europe 2025 team via the Do the Woo podcast<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- The FTC just hit unsubscribe on shady subscription tactics<\/a>, and it\u2019s about time.<\/li>\n
- \ud83c\udfb5 \u201cYoung dev, there\u2019s no need to feel down\/ I said young dev, if you see your content around\/ Just go now, to our blog today and you\u2019ll be back to having a good time\/ \u2728\ud83e\udea9\ud83d\udd7a\ud83d\udc83\u2728 It\u2019s fun to file a D. M. C. A.!<\/a>\u201d<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Coffee Break Distractions<\/h2>\n
Make boring work emails more epic by turning them into an epic Star Wars opening crawl.<\/a><\/p>\n
Speaking of Star Wars, did you know the CIA used a Star Wars fan site as a covert communication tool?<\/a><\/p>\n
Be a pixel-munching snake in the simple yet sssssatisfying game Slither.io.<\/a> \ud83d\udc0d<\/p>\n
This is a handy tool for showing off your .org contributions in a tidy little bio.<\/a><\/p>\n
This extension has gotta be the easiest way to make a clean UI mockup.<\/a><\/p>\n
\u201c99 little bugs in the code, 99 little bugs, take one down, patch it around, 127 bugs in the code\u2026\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n
- Want to stay legal and not creepy? Here\u2019s the WordPress dev\u2019s privacy playbook for 2025<\/a>.<\/li>\n
- According to a new WP Engine report, WordPress can cost up to 44% less than platforms like Adobe Experience Manager. (Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- WP Speakers currently features almost 200 speakers, sharing their hot takes in a wide range of formats from in-person talks to podcast interviews and virtual webinars. (Source<\/a>)<\/li>\n
- Design Nerd Alert: Compass Template for E-Learning<\/strong>\n
- Shuffle Your Evergreen Content Like a DJ<\/strong>\n
- 10 GitHub Gems You (Probably) Didn\u2019t Know<\/strong>\n
- Just slap \/edit<\/em> on the end of any content URL and boom, direct edit access. It\u2019s like a cheat code for WordPress admins. So simple, it\u2019s almost criminal.
- Slash Edit by Ronald Huereca:<\/strong>\n