In the race to forecast the fate of software, pundits are overlooking the operating system. People won't become app builders in the traditional sense, the software will simply appear. Users will create and customize apps for their company, their families, and for themselves based on their needs.

Or not, because who the hell can predict any of this stuff. Here are my thoughts, anyway.

My side bet with Justin https://bsky.app/profile/justinjackson.ca/post/3mhjgd65f6k2j
Jason's thread https://x.com/jasonfried/status/2035074613773050266?s=20

In this episode, I’m sharing something new we’ve launched at The WP Minute: a free course called Hire Smart & Scope Right: How to Plan Your Next Website Project Built on WordPress

The course is designed to help businesses make better decisions before starting a WordPress project. It’s not about which plugins or themes to use. It’s about the fundamentals—planning, communication, budgeting, and understanding what success actually looks like for a website.

If you run a WordPress agency or freelance business, you might find this especially useful to share with prospects. It walks potential clients through the kinds of questions they should be asking before hiring someone to build their site.

I created this alongside Eric Karkovack, and it pairs nicely with our other free course on choosing the right WordPress hosting. Together, they’re part of our effort at The WP Minute to help people have a better experience with WordPress through education.

Both courses are free thanks to our pillar sponsors, and you’ll get a certificate when you finish.

If you take the course, I’d love to hear your feedback.

Links

Hire Smart & Scope Right: How to Plan Your Next Website Project Built on WordPress
https://thewpminute.com/courses

Matt kicks off 2026 with thoughts on new WP Minute initiatives, WordPress opportunities in the AI era, and where he sees the biggest potential for agencies and freelancers this year.

Free Course Launch: Pricing & Scoping WordPress Projects

• Taught by Eric Kovac (30 years in web development)
• Covers project requirements, agency selection, and client communication
• Useful for freelancers learning to scope projects and for clients understanding what agencies need
• Available at thewpminute.com/courses

Accountability Cohort Program

• Six-week program for freelancers and agency owners
• Group check-ins, goal-setting, and peer support
• Designed to build momentum for growing your business in 2026
• Apply at thewpminute.com/accountability-intake

WooCommerce as the Big Opportunity Matt's theory: SaaS platforms like Shopify, Webflow, and Wix may feel AI's impact first as licensing costs rise and get passed to customers. This could drive businesses toward WordPress and WooCommerce for more flexibility and control.

Rethinking the Agency Model

• Basic code, wireframing, and brainstorming increasingly assisted by AI
• Opportunity lies in becoming a strategic partner, not just a technical vendor
• Critical human thinking and industry expertise become more valuable

AI Cost Predictions Expect AI subscription costs to rise significantly—Matt predicts plans like Claude Code Max could double to $400/month or higher as companies face the real economics of frontier models.

Reality Check on AI

Despite using AI tools daily for plugins and experiments, Matt notes the technology isn't fully there yet. His example: Claude built a landing page but put "2024" in the footer—a small error that raises questions about reliability on more complex tasks.

Links

• Courses: thewpminute.com/courses
• Newsletter: thewpminute.com/subscribe
• Accountability Program: thewpminute.com/accountability-intake