Lance Willett

Some big news to close out 2025: @stephenwolfram.bsky.social has officially joined Automattic as a Special Advisor.

Our very own @ma.tt joined the TBPN crew to close out #StateOfTheWord yesterday. They talked about WordPress 6.9, open source, @beeper, and how AI is changing the web. Did you miss it? Check it out now. www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBQh...

Blue background with letters across the middle center that read: SOTW

State of the Word 2025 showed a project growing in every direction. 🌍

From a live release of WordPress 6.9 to an AI panel exploring the future, plus stories from classrooms, campuses, and communities worldwide.

Read the full recap: wordpress.org/news/2025/12/so...

#WordPress #StateOfTheWord

WordPress.com, one of Automattic’s flagship brands, turns 20 today. 🎉

For two decades, the teams at @wordpressdotcom have helped millions publish, build businesses, and create their corner of the open web. 👇

We’re 20! 🎉
Two decades of sites launched, stores opened, and stories told on WordPress.com, all thanks to you. Celebrate with us and see what’s next ⬇️

Today’s the day, our Black Friday offer is officially live. 10% off annual WordPress.com Business plans + FREE done-for-you site build. Get yours now!

University of Arizona Homecoming 2025 Fun to celebrate my 25th undergrad anniversary today on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson. Class of 2000 from the College of Humanities: B.A. French Proud Pi Delta Phi member (French Honor Society) Wonderful to hear from and celebrate the career milestones for this year's two awardees: "Young Professional Achievement Award" recipient Florence Luna and "Alumna of the Year" Michelle Durham.

University of Arizona Homecoming 2025

Fun to celebrate my 25th undergrad anniversary today on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson. Class of 2000 from the College of Humanities: B.A. French Proud Pi Delta Phi member (French Honor Society) Wonderful to hear from and celebrate the…

Mark your calendars for dev/ai/nyc, a new monthly AI-focused gathering in the big 🍎.

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, we’re kicking things off with a fireside chat from @ma.tt and @borthwick.com. Plus drinks, light bites, and great conversation.

@ariellethisandthat.bsky.social listens to five hours of podcasts every day. That’s expert-level dedication. 🎧

So when she says @pocketcasts.com is her favorite app, we’re listening.

Check out how she uses it to stay organized, discover new shows, and keep up with the pod world:

Turn Workouts into Memories: Connect Strava with Day One Automatically import your Strava activities as journal entries in Day One and bring your fitness journey to life with maps, photos, stats, and stories.

New: Automatically import your Strava activities as journal entries in Day One to bring your fitness journey to life with maps, photos, stats, and stories.

See what's new: dayoneapp.com/blog/introdu...

Blocktober Wraps Up as Telex Inspires a Wave of WordPress Experimentation

What keeps a brilliant editor like @cherilucasrowlands.com coming back to Automattic after 13 years?

Hint: it’s not just the work—it’s the people, the mission, and the freedom to create from anywhere. 🌍

If that resonates, we’re hiring! 👀

How Automattic communicates across the world

Paolo Belcastro of Automattic on how a text-first culture is the key to asynchronous communication.

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TTL 41

Using chaos to communicate order

How we communicate at Automattic

https://ttl.blog/using-chaos-to-communicate-order/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

Level up your Product Collections | WooCommerce 10.2 YouTube video by WooCommerce

Have you seen the updates to Product Collections in WooCommerce 10.2?

We cover the new carousel layout, taxonomy filters, and cross-sells collection over on our YouTube 👇

www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7GR...

Over the past year, we've been focused on enhancing performance, including faster load times, improved tests, and collaboration with the contributor community.

Read more about the future of performance for Woo and extensions.
developer.woocommerce.com?p=8769198

The sun never sets on Automattic, and twice a year, we prove it by virtually uniting and running a 24-hour global 5K relay. Spanning skill levels and time zones, someone is always running somewhere. 🏃🌎🏃‍♀️

Check out some highlights from last week’s relay:

Block commenting, fun with Telex, from classic to block theme—Weekend Edition 341 Read onlineIssue #341 | September 20, 2025 Hi there, A month before Beta, is the time I get excited about a major release. Many new features—I see it all coming together via GitHub and Trac. The Source of Truth is in the works, but it will take a few more weeks to be published, as only when Release candidate 2 comes out I can be sure about what actually made it into the release.

Block commenting, fun with Telex, from classic to block theme—Weekend Edition 341

Read onlineIssue #341 | September 20, 2025 Hi there, A month before Beta, is the time I get excited about a major release. Many new features—I see it all coming together via GitHub and Trac. The Source of Truth is in…

Time to Move: Typepad Is Shutting Down September 30, 2025 If you're a Typepad user, time is running out to find a new home for your blog. The good news? We're here to help make your transition as smooth as possible.

Time to move: Typepad Is shutting down on September 30, 2025 wordpress.com/blog/2025/09...

Introducing iOS 26 Liquid Glass Updates, Apple Intelligence On-Device AI Features Experience a refreshed interface, on-device AI journaling tools, and new prompts for creativity in the latest version of Day One.

New in Day One: Liquid Glass UI elements + Apple Intelligence journaling tools. A cleaner look meets on-device AI, designed with your privacy in mind.

Update to Day One 2025.19 on iOS 26 to try it today.

dayoneapp.com/releases/ios...

Ed Chao’s Drawings

Art for art's sake. Ed Chao's personal illustrations are both inspiring and relaxing at the same time: I love the sleeping dog, playful coffee culture, and the old man's face at the bottom. Pushing the AeroPress that last little bit! Lots of depth in these simple strokes.

What does the future of AI and @wordpress.org look like?

Our CEO, @ma.tt, joins a special WP Product Talk livestream to share his insights.

🕛 Live at 12PM ET today. Tune in at the link below 👇

Are you a WordPresser?

Great list! Here are my additions: You help your friends add PHP code to their website footer files to show the current date correctly (“here’s a code snippet”) You type /feed on any URL to try and follow via RSS You may have memorized a few Trac ticket numbers that you…

This week Anthony and I were joined by @lancewillett.bsky.social to chat about quality. We figured as Head of Quality at Automattic he might know a thing or two about that, and he did not disappoint. This one has actionable insights you can start using today.

creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/...

Talking Quality on the Complementary Podcast When I started my new role in late 2024, I came across a blog post by Anthony Hobday listing companies with dedicated quality efforts. I found it inspiring and motivational; "these are people that get it." Last week I spoke to Anthony (a product designer) and his co-host Katie Langerman (a systems designer) on their excellent podcast "Complementary" for Episode 64: Being Intentional About Quality with Lance Willett…

Talking Quality on the Complementary Podcast

When I started my new role in late 2024, I came across a blog post by Anthony Hobday listing companies with dedicated quality efforts. I found it inspiring and motivational; "these are people that get it." Last week I spoke to Anthony (a product…

Between Two COOs I recently joined Between Two COOs to chat with Michael Koenig about quality, leadership, and how we scale open-source software at Automattic including WordPress.com, Woo, Jetpack, and lots more. A fun conversation since MK and I have known each other 15+ years after working together at Automattic in the earliest days. I've followed his career and learned from listening to these insightful episodes over the years.

Between Two COOs

I recently joined Between Two COOs to chat with Michael Koenig about quality, leadership, and how we scale open-source software at Automattic including WordPress.com, Woo, Jetpack, and lots more. A fun conversation since MK and I have known each other 15+ years after working…

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Head of Quality

What does a "head of quality" do? “Move purposefully and fix things.” Doc Pop This role is all about systems thinking, operational excellence, and the long-term compounding effects of quality work. Whether working in design,…

http://fullstackleader.blog/2025/07/14/head-of-quality/

Say hello to Clay, now part of Automattic! 💫

Clay helps you stay on top of your relationships by gathering your contacts, messages, meetings, and more. No spreadsheets, no manual updates, just one organized place for your network.

Five Steps to Optimize a Process “Elon Musk” level questioning as a rigorous, five-step process (in this exact order, paraphrased): Question all requirements, esp. if someone smart made them Try to delete parts or steps in the process Simplify or optimize what's left Accelerate cycle time Automate Source, Christian Scheb: Elon Musk’s Engineering Principles – The 5 Step Process The order matters, since you don't want to automate or accelerate work that doesn't matter. Challenge: How will I apply this rigor at work? In my personal life?

Five Steps to Optimize a Process

“Elon Musk” level questioning as a rigorous, five-step process (in this exact order, paraphrased): Question all requirements, esp. if someone smart made them Try to delete parts or steps in the process Simplify or optimize what's left Accelerate cycle time Automate…

Quality is a Choice

Config 2025 talk by Karri Saarinen, CEO of Linear Highly recommend this talk, and agree with the notion that quality, craft, and care are competitive advantages.