E132: WP 2026 Release Schedule Proposal, Contributor Dashboard Pilot Project, WP Gives A Hand 2026

This week on The WP Week, we break down the conversations shaping WordPress’s future, starting with a proposed 2026 release schedule that aligns major WordPress versions with flagship community events like WordCamp Asia, WordCamp US, and the State of the Word. We also look at progress on the Contributor Dashboard pilot, the WordPress 6.9 retrospective, and new calls for volunteers supporting Campus Connect and education programs.

Gutenberg 22.3 lands with better typography controls, responsive layouts, and improved image editing, while WooCommerce 10.4.3 ships important security and stability fixes. Security remains a key theme, with a critical vulnerability patched in the Motors Theme and renewed debate around data transparency in WooCommerce. Beyond WordPress, we cover Google’s DMCA lawsuit against SerpApi, new CSS Grid Lanes for masonry layouts, and growing concerns around AI-driven web traffic.

Community highlights include the ongoing impact of the WordPress Gives A Hand initiative, the return of Do the Woo as a dedicated WooCommerce podcast, Stephen Wolfram joining Automattic as a special advisor, and WordPress.com’s massive effort to migrate thousands of Typepad blogs before shutdown. We also touch on new tools, plugins, and AI experiments pushing WordPress forward, from block animations to smarter visual workflows.

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Tune in for a packed episode covering releases, security, community initiatives, and the ideas shaping what’s next for WordPress.