Playing FAIR with the Future of WordPress

We thought the ground was solid. Then it shifted. It was a wake-up call for many of us several months ago to learn that WordPress.org is not owned by the WordPress Foundation, but personally by Matt Mullenweg.

That revelation, brought to light during the recent unpleasantness, reframed how many of us think about the ecosystem we rely on. That over 40% of the Internet is effectively tethered to one individual’s personal website is untenable. And after seeing trusted community members banned, plugin ownership jeopardized, and established norms disrupted, it’s become clear: the central hub of WordPress isn’t as stable or as neutral as we thought.

This is the context behind FAIR, a new initiative that aims to offer a more dependable, decentralized supply chain for WordPress. And it’s something every agency owner should be seriously considering.

FAIR (short for Federated and Independent Repositories) is backed by well-known names in the WordPress community and supported by the Linux Foundation. It’s not a fork or a hostile move. It’s a response to the uncomfortable reality that WordPress.org is a single point of failure, both technically and politically.

For agencies, this shift is less about ideology and more about risk management. Our clients expect their sites to just work – today, next year, and five years from now. If the tools we depend on can vanish overnight because of internal politics or opaque decision-making, that’s a business problem.

FAIR represents a path toward resilience. It’s an insurance policy against central failure and a step toward more agency autonomy in the true sense of the word.

The launch of FAIR may not change your tech stack tomorrow. But it’s a moment worth watching, and hopefully the beginning of a broader conversation about how we want to build and sustain the WordPress ecosystem we all rely on.

Important Links to Learn More About FAIR:

• FAIR Package Manager Project on Github (where you can also download the plugin)
• The Repository’s thorough article on FAIR
• The Linux Foundation’s press release
• Joost de Valk’s blog post
• Karim Marucchi’s blog post
• Matt Medeiros is not jazzed about FAIR
• SEJ’s article about Matt Mullenweg’s response at WCEU
• WP Minute’s recording of Matt & Mary’s Fireside Chat at WCEU where FAIR is discussed

The New ChatGPT Feature that Could Change How You Review Client Calls

• ChatGPT’s new Record mode lets you capture live meetings, transcribe audio, and get instant summaries—all stored in your chat history.
• The Record mode works directly within the ChatGPT app, and doesn’t require Zoom or any other third-party conferencing tools.
• Just speak naturally, and ChatGPT will transcribe, summarize, and organize a discussion into key points automatically.
• Summaries are stored in your chat history, so you can access meeting details without digging through recordings.
• New connection options integrate Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive, so you can upload, summarize, and reference other relevant project materials too.
• Transcriptions support multiple languages, and OpenAI notes that audio is processed securely and only retained if history is on.
• The feature is rolling out gradually to ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Enterprise users.

Is FluentCart the WooCommerce Alternative You’ve Been Looking For?

• FluentCart is a new e-commerce plugin from the team behind FluentCRM and Fluent Forms.
• Performance is a top priority, with a modern codebase and fast-loading database queries optimized for speed.
• It supports physical and digital products, product variations, custom product attributes, and inventory management.
• What’s more, FluentCart includes subscription and installment payments out of the box, with Stripe and PayPal integration.
• If you’re already in the Fluent ecosystem, you’ll appreciate the tight integration with FluentCRM, FluentForms, and FluentSupport.
• Multilingual support, email notifications, and activity logs are included—no extra plugins needed.
• Check out this first look from WPTuts
• FluentCart is currently accepting early access signups through a waitlist at fluentcart.com.

Worth a Look

• A Nuclear Take from ChatGPT. On The Admin Bar, Troy Glancy challenged ChatGPT users to try this prompt. I was blown away by the results. Tell me something about myself that I don’t know. Give me a nuclear take. Be real with me.
• WooCommerce 9.9 is out with blazing speed improvements with no database update requried.
• Attributing results to SEO is getting harder. Here are some ideas to rethink measurements.
• Jamie Marsland interviews James LePage about the new Core AI Team.
• Liquid Glass design elements are coming in Apples newest software updates.
• Why your best content is invisible to AI search (and how to fix it).
• Do the Woo has rebranded to OpenChannels.fm.
• And in a final bit of terrifying news… a humanoid robot may start to deliver your Amazon packages.