Automattic vs Drupal.org

Automattic begins layoffs following board upheaval

Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Tumblr, has begun laying off employees across multiple teams, including communications, social, WordPress.com, and its VIP enterprise business. This follows a failed attempt by the board to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg in September, which led to a complete board turnover and the departures of its CFO, interim CFO, and Chief Legal Officer. Insiders suggest more cuts could follow as the company aims to improve its Q4 revenue figures ahead of a debt renegotiation in June. The company's About page lists 1,397 staff, but layoffs are reportedly being staggered over several months. Automattic spokesperson Chenda Ngak stated that organizational changes are being staggered to be more generous with severance.

• Automattic has begun layoffs across communications, social, WordPress.com, and VIP enterprise teams.
• The layoffs follow a failed board attempt to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg in September, resulting in complete board turnover.
• CFO, interim CFO Jeremy Klaperman, and Chief Legal Officer have departed the company.

Bluesky Plans Payments, Not Ads, for Monetization

At TechCrunch Disrupt, Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang outlined plans to introduce payments within the coming months, positioning commerce and fundraising as alternatives to advertising. Schneider, who became CEO in March 2026, emphasized the decentralized network's existing organic buying and selling activity. Wang highlighted Bluesky's Public Benefit Corporation status and its infrastructure preventing user lock-in, contrasting with traditional social networks. The payments feature aims to support creators and users across the network, including other apps built on the AT Protocol. This strategy reflects a broader vision of disrupting the infrastructure layer rather than building just another app, with revenue flowing directly to value creators.

• Bluesky plans to introduce payments within the coming months.
• CEO Toni Schneider and COO Rose Wang announced the plans at TechCrunch Disrupt.
• Bluesky is a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC).

Bluesky Expands AI-Powered Attie App for Building Sites

Bluesky announced at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 the expansion of its experimental Attie platform, enabling users to build interactive web experiences like games, quizzes, and websites using AI. Attie, initially focused on custom feed creation, now supports 'social vibe coding', where creators can build for their communities. The experiences run on the AT Protocol and can leverage Bluesky's distribution network of 47 million users, addressing the problem of audience discovery. Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider highlighted the shift from solo to collaborative creation, with suggestions based on public profiles. The platform allows bring-your-own AI models or open-weight options. Additionally, Bluesky is progressing on private data support, currently in alpha testing, aimed at boosting developer adoption. This move is part of Bluesky's broader strategy to reinvigorate its network by focusing on developers and communities.

• Bluesky announced the expansion of Attie to allow creating websites, quizzes, games, and polls.
• The tool supports 'social vibe coding' for building interactive experiences for communities.
• Attie runs on the AT Protocol and connects creators to their ATProto identity.

After the PHP security release: auditing your Drupal sites

Updating PHP closes the door, but it does not tell you whether anyone came through it first. With honeypot evidence of exploitation attempts from 17 October, four days before the fix was public, here is how the Drupal Association is auditing Drupal.org, and what our research suggests site owners should check on their own servers.