State of the Word 2024 Video + Recap

On Dec. 16, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg, Lead Architect Matías Ventura, and Executive Director Mary Hubbard were joined by WordPress community member Junko Nukaga to reflect on all things WordPress at Tokyo Node Hall in Tokyo, Japan. The venue provided the perfect location for the annual event, which was held for the first time outside of the United States.

After delivering the evening’s keynote, Matt, Matias, and Mary were joined by distinguished guests including author and poet Mieko Kawakami, Things Become Other Things author Craig Mod, mgn CEO Hajime Ogushi, and SAKURA Internet Inc. Senior Director Genki Taniguchi. The talented pianist Aiko Takei also performed during the introduction and intermission. 

If you missed the livestream, you can watch the full event below:

Highlights from 2024

2024 was a busy year for the WordPress project. Here are some particularly noteworthy moments and milestones that Matt, Matias, and Mary reflected upon from the event stage:

  • WordPress is growing in Japan (and beyond). Our favorite open-source CMS currently powers 43.6% of all websites around the world, and has a CMS share of 62.3%. In Japan, it powers 58.5% of all websites and maintains a 83% CMS share. 
  • The global community is growing too. WordPress sites using languages other than English are expected to surpass English language sites by 2025. 
  • It’s all about extensibility. WordPress users downloaded plugins 2.35 billion times in 2024. Users can install plugins on the Business plan and above. 
  • Writing and designing with WordPress has never been easier. An improved distraction-free mode provides a cleaner experience when writing in the editor. Thanks to the new zoom-out view, you can use patterns without setting up each single block. 
  • Enhancements for builders and developers. The Templates API streamlines registering and managing custom templates, while WordPress Playground became even more useful thanks to an improved Github integration.  
  • Even more free-to-use visual and audio content. Openverse, a free tool that makes it easy to find open-licensed and public domain works, grew to 884 million images and 4.2 million audio files. Learn how to use Openverse directly in WordPress.com.

WordPress in Japan

WordPress is flourishing all around the world, thanks in part to the generous support and contributions of the Japanese WordPress community. Here are a few key highlights and fun facts:

Q&A session

It wouldn’t be State of the Word without a question-and-answer segment. Audience members (including Tokyo Vice author Jake Adelstein) sparked engaging conversations around topics that included:

  • What open social platforms like Bluesky and Mastodon mean for web publishers.
  • How will AI continue to impact search engine optimization in the future.
  • Why websites are still relevant (and why it’s important to own your online home)

And much more. You can watch the full session below:

Stocks bounce after Fed-induced selloff – Reuters

  1. Stocks bounce after Fed-induced selloff  Reuters
  2. Stock Market Today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Rise After Fed-Fueled Selloff After Fed-Fueled Selloff — Live Updates  The Wall Street Journal
  3. US long-term bond yields rise to highest level in six months  Financial Times
  4. Dow Jones Futures Rise After Fed Sell-Off; Tesla, Nvidia Bounce As Micron Dives  Investor’s Business Daily
  5. Dow ekes out narrow gain to snap 10-day losing streak, its longest in 50 years: Live updates  CNBC

Millions of people may get expanded Social Security benefits. Who are they and how would it happen? – The Associated Press

  1. Millions of people may get expanded Social Security benefits. Who are they and how would it happen?  The Associated Press
  2. Senate expected to hold final vote on bill to change Social Security rules. Here’s what leaders have said  CNBC
  3. More! on the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset  Government Executive
  4. Social Security Fairness Act clears key Senate hurdle, heads to final vote  CBS News

New Year, New Story: Share Your 2025 Wishes with the World

As the last days of 2024 wind down, we’re inviting WordPress.com bloggers to kick off the new year by doing what we love most: sharing our stories.

Reflecting on the past 12 months and looking forward to the New Year is a natural part of the season, but blogging about those thoughts? That’s a modern twist that turns personal contemplation into community inspiration.

This January, we’re challenging you to write about the turning of the year – from your experiences during 2024, to your hopes, dreams, and goals for 2025, to everything that’s in between. We can’t wait to read what you come up with!

How to participate in the #2025-new-year-challenge

Participating is easy:

  1. Write your post: Craft a heartfelt, honest, or even humorous post about what comes up for you as we enter the new year. Dream big, get specific, or keep it wonderfully vague – it’s your story.
  2. Schedule for January 1st: Use our handy scheduling feature to have your post go live on January 1st, right as the new year begins. Nothing says “fresh start” like a post dropping on day one!
  3. Tag it right: Add the #2025-new-year-challenge tag to your post. This is your ticket to others seeing and interacting with your post.
  4. Get the word out: Blog about the challenge or share this post with others. Let’s get as many stories as we can!

Discover and connect

Want to see what others created? Starting January 1st, visit wordpress.com/tag/2025-new-year-challenge to explore a world of reflections, aspirations, dreams, and more.

You might find a haiku encapsulating the past year, a fitness enthusiast planning their marathon, or someone simply resolving to be kinder to themselves. Every story matters, and every reflection is a step towards a new beginning.

Make it yours with the Personal plan

Ready to make your online presence more personalized? Our Personal plan is the perfect companion for your blogging journey this new year. Get a custom domain (first year included) and transform your blog from a generic URL to your very own corner of the internet.

Imagine telling people, “Check out my resolution progress at [yourname].com” – pretty cool, right?

Let’s make 2025 remarkable

Whether you’re nostalgic for 2024 or excited to learn a language, read more books, or simply smile more this upcoming year – we want to hear about it. Your post might just inspire someone else on their own journey.

So grab your laptop, warm up those typing fingers, and let’s welcome 2025 with stories of growth, hope, and possibility.

Happy writing, and here’s to new beginnings!

Prosecutor Fani Willis is removed from the Georgia election case against Trump and others – The Associated Press

  1. Prosecutor Fani Willis is removed from the Georgia election case against Trump and others  The Associated Press
  2. ‘It’s over’: Honig on why Georgia case prosecuting Trump will likely not happen  CNN
  3. Opinion | Lawfare Bites Fani Willis Back  The Wall Street Journal
  4. Appeals Court Disqualifies Fani Willis From Prosecuting Georgia Trump Case  The New York Times
  5. Trump cheers disqualification of ‘corrupt’ Fani Willis, says case is ‘entirely dead’  Fox News

Fani Willis disqualified from Trump’s Georgia election interference case – Axios

  1. Fani Willis disqualified from Trump’s Georgia election interference case  Axios
  2. ‘It’s over’: Honig on why Georgia case prosecuting Trump will likely not happen  CNN
  3. Fani Willis’ reputation ‘damaged’ after disqualification from Trump case: Georgia Reporter  Fox News
  4. Appeals Court Disqualifies Fani Willis From Prosecuting Georgia Trump Case  The New York Times

Net International Migration Drives Highest U.S. Population Growth in Decades – U.S. Census Bureau

  1. Net International Migration Drives Highest U.S. Population Growth in Decades  U.S. Census Bureau
  2. Immigration drives US population growth to highest rate in 23 years as residents pass 340 million  The Associated Press
  3. Texas had the largest population growth in the US again in 2024, census bureau finds  Houston Chronicle
  4. Illinois population grows in 2024, Census Bureau data says  NBC Chicago
  5. California sees large population increase in 2024 — nearly returning to pre-pandemic level  The Mercury News