Rob Pugh

@DaveJackson @automattic @wordpressdotcom We are following IAB v2.1 measurement guidelines, but aren't paying for certification at the moment. 301 redirect is possible today with a plugin, but I'll look into making that native.

@RobPughCL @automattic @wordpressdotcom What kind of stats? Is it IAB Certified? If I decide to leave, can I redirect my feed via a 301 redirect to a new media host?

Week 2 of @automattic #RadicalSpeedMonth is underway and I'm bringing podcast tools to @wordpressdotcom. Here's a quick demo of progress so far. The goal is to make it as easy to start a podcast as a blog and newsletter, while keeping ownership of your data.

@akatgifriday @automattic @wordpressdotcom @wordpresscom If you don't pay your podcast hosting renewal, your podcast will also be inactive.

@RobPughCL @automattic @wordpressdotcom @wordpresscom If you don't pay your WordPress website renewal and you have your podcast content hosted on your WordPress website your podcast will be non-active on iTunes Apple podcast and wherever you have for a destination. If you host with the dedicated podcast post it will remain live

@akatgifriday @automattic @wordpressdotcom Host with @wordpresscom for 99.999% uptime automatticstatus.com

@RobPughCL @automattic @wordpressdotcom Suggestion: there are several benefits to hosting your podcast audio and video files with a dedicated podcasting host. 1. Let's say your WordPress site is down for maintenance store something else - just probably means that are your podcast RSS feed might be non-functional.

@automattic @wordpressdotcom It's just an experiment for now, but I love this way of working. I'm more of a product and marketing person, but I shipped 10 PRs this week. It's so freeing to ditch the meetings, talk to customers, and start shipping.

@automattic @wordpressdotcom If you run a podcast on WordPress.com or another platform, let me know what you think, and what you'd like to see as we speed build this month.

Want a private social network just for friends & family? @josephscott and I built a simple way to do it on WordPress.com as part of Automattic’s AI build month: wordpress.com/blog/2026/04/2…

@daljo628 @automattic No, more like half the people are covering for the other half of the people taking part.

@RobPughCL @automattic So no one is covering their normal jobs for the next month? Should I send a few bottles of bourbon to the systems team in advance?

Today, @automattic is kicking off Radical Speed Month. We get 30 days to step away from our normal roles, pair up with someone else in the company, and build something that makes people happy. I've never had this opportunity in my career, and I may never again.

And then you'll be forced to email an apology with a photo of a pudu.

First #RadicalSpeedMonth learning: when your test blog goes legit and gets subscribers, you should stop using it for testing. Or Claude will decide to debug an issue by publishing 10 posts and emailing your subscribers repeatedly.

@daljo628 @automattic Yes, more room to tackle a meatier project. But also it feels like it has more momentum and less expectation that you're still covering your other job.

@RobPughCL @automattic So, Hack Month instead of Hack Week?

@automattic To sum up how I'm feeling about it: LET'S GOOOOOOOOO

@automattic For #RadicalSpeedMonth, I'm building podcast tools for @wordpressdotcom. You should be able to own your podcast the same way you own your blog and newsletter.

I redesigned my entire WordPress site in ~2 hours • 1 prompt to pull it locally • 1 redesign prompt (+ a few tweaks) • 1 prompt to push it live No setup. No config. Just vibes. I used something called “Studio Code”… Post → riad.blog/2026/04/13/mee…

If you run a paid newsletter on WordPress.com, you’ve probably wanted to give someone free access to your paid content. A friend who supports your work. A fellow writer you admire. Your mom.

Finally achieved a career goal of saying "your mom" in a newsletter. wordpress.com/blog/2026/04/0…

so who said WordPress doesn't scale?

Having a lot of fun working on this tool. Coming soon...

the fastest way to get WordPress running locally.