Automattic

Here’s a radically cool update from all of us at Automattic; this past month, we held our first-ever company-wide hackathon. Titled Radical Speed Month, we ventured forth in hundreds of two-person teams to build and ship passion projects across our universe of brands, including Tumblr.

One project worth spotlighting is Social, a new theme from the WordPress.com crew for quick posts, replies, and reblogs. The Social theme creates a space on your website for all those personal updates that are not a tweet, not yet a blog post. Sound familiar?

When you create a site with WordPress.com/social, you’re greeted by a feed-like interface with a profile page, a home page, and an explore page. Hit compose to write a post, or reblog someone else’s post from your feed to your profile, which has a custom URL that anyone can subscribe to.

Tumblr was placed No. 8 in the Social Media category. A huge congratulations to the entire team!

In a social landscape full of black boxes, AI content, and algorithms, Tumblr continues to put its creators, fandoms, and community at the forefront. The result? A place for human authenticity, an incubator of trends, and a signpost of where the culture is and where it’s headed.

Tumblr remains what made it special 19 years ago: the weirdest, coolest, and most creative corner of the internet. 

Get the full breakdown here: https://www.fastcompany.com/91497300/social-media-most-innovative-companies-2026-reddit-patreon-letterboxd-weverse-doing-things-tumblr-beli-twitch-pinterest-bite-sight

“I remind myself that I have run this fast before. Self-doubt is a smoldering fire. In a workout, the embers often flash. I don't want to give them any air. Every action we take helps to build our habits. Quit once and it'll be easier to quit the second time too.” — Nicholas Thompson, The Running Ground

Automattic recently hosted @theatlantic CEO (and @atavist founder) Nicholas Thompson at our NoHo Space for an intimate conversation about The Running Ground — his new book on transformation, overcoming personal challenges, and the complicated nature of the father–son bond, all seen through the simple act of running.

This clip was one of our favorite moments. Nicholas strips down the journey of improvement in his life and career to the same simple process runners use to train. To get better, do the thing as best you can. Do it over and over.

🔗 The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports

that’s Arielle Nissenblatt. and we couldn’t be happier to know her podcast player of choice is Pocket Casts. watch her break down how she listens, discovers, and stays on top of the podcast world. 🎧

read more here:

The Automattic Trust and Safety team’s vision is to maintain safety while democratizing publishing. Earlier this year, we established five pillars that underpin our intent: user rights, safety by design, sustainability, empowerment, and transparency. Explore our 24th biannual transparency report, now available, highlighting the work done over during the January to June 2025 period. You can read more about the report and dive into the details here.

Parenting while working can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Nicola Hodd, a UK-based marketing operations wrangler for Automattic’s Woo business unit, thrived thanks to our exceptional flexibility after parental leave.

Nicola could work from home, attend video calls with her child present when needed, and adjust her working hours to coordinate childcare with her partner. 

“None of my team minded at all. They totally understood. Automattic just stands out.” 

Read more about Nicola’s story and how the Automattic family prioritizes our team members’ families: https://automattic.com/2025/01/30/parenting-while-working-nicola-hodds-story/