AUSTIN, Texas—March 13, 2023—As a proud WordPress technology company, WP Engine has announced WordPress Co-founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and Gutenberg Lead Architect Matías Ventura will join its annual virtual developer conference, DE{CODE}, on March 21 and 23, 2023. DE{CODE} will be broadcast in three global time zones and anticipates over 5,000 attendees in its fourth year, launching in 2020.

“We are truly honored to welcome Matt and Matías to DE{CODE},” said WP Engine Chairwoman and CEO Heather Brunner. “Since its inception, DE{CODE} has always been about inspiring the WordPress community, and who better to help us do that than the pioneers and innovators of WordPress itself!”

Joining the lineup of keynote sessions announced last week, Mullenweg and Ventura will lend their vision and voice to DE{CODE} 2023, focusing on the future of WordPress and the rapid innovations in the block editor relied upon by millions of WordPress developers worldwide.

“As WordPress nears its 20th anniversary, it’s humbling to witness the level of adoption it has achieved within our thriving global community,” Mullenweg shared. “We’re excited to help celebrate this milestone anniversary by participating in DE{CODE} where we hope to inspire attendees to help us build the future of WordPress together.”

Mullenweg and Ventura’s session will explore the radical pace of innovation today, current digital trends including exciting developments like generative AI, and what the next 20 years holds for WordPress within this paradigm. Mullenweg will share reflections on the drivers of WordPress’ success and what’s necessary to maintain a free and open web while Ventura will offer his vision for the WordPress block editor.

WordPress Facts

  • WordPress celebrates its 20-year anniversary on May 27, 2023.
  • WordPress is the most adopted content management system (CMS) in the world, with 43% of all sites globally powered by WordPress. [W3Techs]
  • WordPress is also the fastest-growing CMS in the world. Out of the top 10 million websites by traffic, more than 500 are built each day using WordPress.
  • Launched in 2018 (with WordPress 5.0), the Gutenberg or block editor represents a significant shift away from the classic WYSIWYG (pronounced wiz-ee-wig) editor and towards a more modular or component-based editing experience.
  • The Site Editor utilizes the block model to create an editing experience that goes beyond post or page content—making an entire website customizable with no code required.
  • The WordPress Pattern Directory features a wide range of patterns—collections of predefined block layouts—that WordPress users can leverage as a quick, high-quality starting point for building their sites.
  • The WordPress Plugin Repository now includes more than 60,000 free plugins providing WordPress users with nearly-limitless options for customization and added functionality.
  • The WordPress Theme Repository provides WordPress users with more than 10,000 free themes they can use as the foundation for their websites, offering responsive themes, SEO-ready, and great-looking, right out of the box.
  • WordPress is also a significant generator of income. Users who work with WordPress more than 15 hours per week derive nearly half of their income (48%) from it.

DE{CODE} Conference Facts:

  • DE{CODE} launched in 2020 as an online community and educational space for WordPress developers of all skill levels to continue honing their craft.
  • DE{CODE} has experienced exponential growth since it launched.
  • 2023’s all-virtual event anticipates over 5,000 attendees this year.
  • WP Engine Founder, and Chief Innovation Officer, Jason Cohen will kick off DE{CODE} 2023 with a keynote session on the way technology has shaped the power dynamic between designers, developers, and marketers.
  • Matt Mullenweg and Matías Ventura will be present to chat live with global participants during their discussion.
  • WP Engine Director of Product Management, Jason Konen will also present a keynote session, “Leveraging Atlas To Go Beyond What You Thought Was Possible With Headless”
  • Register for DE{CODE} at https://events.wpestaging.qa/DECODE2023

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About WP Engine

As a proud WordPress technology company, WP Engine provides leading developer-centric WordPress products for companies and agencies of all sizes, including managed WordPress hosting, enterprise WordPress, headless WordPress, Flywheel, Local, Advanced Custom Fields, and Genesis. WP Engine’s tech innovation and award-winning WordPress experts help to power more than 1 million customers across 150 countries.

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