So yeh. In October 2018, I participated in a panel at WordCamp Brighton called “The Future of WordPress.” Four of us—Alain Schlesser, Mika Epstein, Tammie Lister, and myself—sat with moderator Ana Silva for 62 minutes discussing where WordPress was heading.
The timing was significant. This panel happened two months before WordPress 5.0 launched with Gutenberg, the new block editor that would fundamentally change how people create content in WordPress.
The community was divided. Some saw Gutenberg as essential evolution. Others viewed it as unnecessary disruption. This panel captured that moment of uncertainty and debate.
The Gutenberg Question
Gutenberg dominated the conversation—as it should have. WordPress was about to ship the most significant interface change in its 15-year history.
The Risk of Changing
Changing a product’s core interface is dangerous. You risk:
- User confusion and frustration when familiar workflows break
- Plugin compatibility issues as thousands of extensions need updates
- Training costs for agencies, freelancers, enterprises
- Migration complexity for large sites with custom editorial processes
- Community fragmentation when longtime contributors disagree with direction
The comparison made during the panel: Microsoft’s migration costs when they dramatically changed Windows interfaces. Enterprises stayed on old versions for years because upgrading was too disruptive.
WordPress had similar risks. With 30%+ of websites using the platform, any breaking change affects millions of sites. Agencies were telling clients “WordPress is unintuitive” and recommending alternatives. Would Gutenberg make this worse?
The Risk of NOT Changing
But there was another perspective, one I strongly agreed with: the biggest risk was NOT making this change.
WordPress’s editor had barely evolved since 2005. TinyMCE provided basic formatting, but building modern layouts required shortcodes, custom fields, or page builders. The content creation experience was increasingly dated compared to modern CMSs and site builders.
Several realities:
1. Market Share Isn’t Everything
WordPress might power 30% of websites, but many were abandoned or neglected. Active, valuable sites increasingly used modern builders—Squarespace, Webflow, Wix—that offered better content creation experiences.
2. Developer-First vs User-First
WordPress had become developer-friendly at the expense of user experience. You could build anything with enough PHP and custom fields, but non-technical users struggled with basic page layouts.
3. The Threat of Stagnation
Not evolving means slow decline. Competitors innovate while you optimize legacy code. New developers choose modern stacks. Educational institutions teach newer tools. WordPress risks becoming “that old CMS” rather than “the platform that powers the web.”
Gutenberg as Catalyst
One perspective from the panel: Gutenberg might not be a single fix for WordPress’s intuitiveness problems, but it could work as a catalyst for broader improvement.
The block editor wasn’t just about writing posts—it was architectural foundation for:
- Full site editing (everything becomes blocks)
- Better content portability (blocks are structured data)
- Modern JavaScript development patterns (React-based UI)
- Visual editing without code (democratizing customization)
- Extensibility through block patterns and variations
The question wasn’t “Is Gutenberg perfect?” but “Does this move WordPress toward a better future?”
The panel consensus leaned toward yes, despite implementation concerns.
The REST API Revolution
While Gutenberg dominated headlines, the panel discussed another transformational change: WordPress REST API adoption.
In the 18 months before this panel (roughly 2017-2018), REST API usage had exploded. Plugins and themes were increasingly using the API for:
- Decoupled architectures (JavaScript frontends, WordPress backend)
- Mobile app integration (native apps powered by WordPress data)
- Cross-site communication (sites calling back to other WordPress installations)
- Third-party service integration (connecting WordPress to external platforms)
- Performance optimization (async loading, partial page updates)
The REST API opened WordPress to a new generation of developers. People who primarily wrote JavaScript, not PHP. Developers building React, Vue, or Angular frontends who wanted WordPress as a content API.
This shift had implications:
- WordPress becoming more of a content platform than a monolithic CMS
- Headless WordPress emerging as architecture pattern
- Modern development workflows (npm, webpack, component-based thinking)
- API-first thinking changing plugin development approaches
The REST API didn’t get the attention Gutenberg received, but it was equally important for WordPress’s evolution.
AI on WordPress
Yes, we discussed AI in October 2018—before ChatGPT, before widespread transformer model adoption, before “AI” became every tech company’s tagline.
The conversation was speculative but prescient:
- Content generation assistance (writing suggestions, SEO optimization)
- Automated moderation (spam detection, comment filtering)
- Personalization (showing different content based on user behavior)
- Accessibility improvements (automated alt text, readability analysis)
At the time, these felt like future possibilities. By 2025, they’re table stakes. WordPress plugins now offer:
- AI-powered content writing (Jetpack AI, Bertha, countless others)
- Automated image generation and editing
- SEO analysis with natural language understanding
- Accessibility scanning with ML-powered recommendations
The panel didn’t predict the specific form AI integration would take, but we recognized it as an important emerging trend.
The Community Perspective
Panel discussions offer something individual talks don’t: multiple perspectives simultaneously.
Alain Schlesser
Developer advocate, focused on code quality, architecture, enterprise patterns. Brought technical rigor to WordPress community discussions.
Mika Epstein
WordPress support veteran, plugin review team, LGBTQ+ community advocate. Focused on accessibility, security, user protection.
Tammie Lister
Core contributor, theme developer, designer. Deeply involved in Gutenberg development and WordPress design language.
David Lockie (Me)
Agency owner, enterprise implementations, WooCommerce specialist. Concerned with practical adoption challenges and business impact.
Ana Silva (Moderator)
WordPress community organizer, bringing together diverse perspectives and managing discussion flow.
These different backgrounds meant the panel covered Gutenberg’s impact from multiple angles:
- Technical implementation challenges
- User experience concerns
- Accessibility requirements
- Business adoption considerations
- Community governance questions
No one perspective dominated. The format encouraged nuance.
Historical Context: Pre-Gutenberg Tension
Understanding this panel requires understanding October 2018’s WordPress community climate.
The Gutenberg Debate Was Heated:
- Core contributors split on implementation approach
- Major plugin developers worried about compatibility
- Agencies concerned about client migration costs
- Accessibility advocates raised WCAG compliance issues
- Some community members felt excluded from decisions
WordPress 5.0 Was Imminent:
- Originally scheduled for November, later delayed to December
- Feature freeze in place, final testing happening
- Plugin developers rushing to ensure compatibility
- Theme developers updating for block editor support
- Documentation teams writing guides for new interface
The Stakes Felt High:
- WordPress’s market position was strong but questioned
- Competition from modern builders was intensifying
- Developer recruitment to WordPress was challenging
- Enterprise customers were evaluating alternatives
- The community’s cohesion was being tested
This panel happened in that charged atmosphere. Every statement about Gutenberg carried weight because the decision was made and implementation was weeks away. This wasn’t speculative—it was happening.
Looking Back from 2025
Seven years later, how did these discussions age?
On Gutenberg:
- The transition was rough—plugin conflicts, accessibility issues, learning curve complaints
- Adoption took years, not months—many sites stayed on Classic Editor for years
- Full Site Editing (blocks for everything) eventually launched in 2022
- The architectural bet paid off—blocks enabled modern WordPress development
- User experience improved incrementally, not immediately
- The community adapted, though some longtime contributors moved on
On REST API:
- Headless WordPress became a viable architecture
- JAMstack adoption grew with WordPress as content backend
- Mobile app development flourished
- API-first thinking became standard for plugin development
- Decoupled architectures remain niche compared to traditional WordPress
On AI:
- AI integration exceeded our expectations in speed and capability
- Content generation became mainstream feature, not specialty tool
- Accessibility AI tools emerged as predicted
- New concerns arose: AI-generated spam, content authenticity, copyright issues
- WordPress plugins adapted quickly, integrating major AI providers
The Biggest Risk Assessment:
- The panel’s consensus that “not changing was the biggest risk” appears validated
- Gutenberg’s rough launch hurt in the short term but positioned WordPress for long-term relevance
- Competitors who seemed threatening in 2018 (Wix, Squarespace) didn’t overtake WordPress
- WordPress maintained market share while modernizing architecture
- The catalyst theory proved true—Gutenberg enabled broader WordPress evolution
Why This Panel Matters
This WordCamp Brighton 2018 panel is a historical document. It captures:
A Moment of Transformation
Two months before WordPress’s most significant update, key community members discussed whether the change was worth the risk. The answer was uncertain then. We know the outcome now.
Multiple Perspectives
Panel format means diverse viewpoints from different WordPress ecosystem roles—developer, support, designer, agency owner. No single narrative dominates.
Pre-Hype Cycle Discussion
This was before Gutenberg was fully judged. Before everyone had opinions based on actual usage. It’s speculation and principle, not retrospective analysis.
Community Process Visibility
The panel reveals how WordPress makes major decisions—community discussion, diverse stakeholder input, weighing progress against stability. Not always clean, but transparent.
If you’re interested in WordPress history, product evolution strategy, or how open-source communities navigate major changes, this 62-minute panel provides valuable context.
The full video is available on WordPress.tv and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
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Related Content:
Sources:
- WordPress.tv: Panel – The Future of WordPress
- Plesk: Four expert panelists tackle the future of WordPress at WordCamp Brighton