You did it and I think congratulations are in order! You, dear WordPress enthusiast, have helped WordPress thrive for the past 20 years. It\u2019s an incredible accomplishment, and I couldn\u2019t be more thankful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nDid you know: WordPress is thirteen years older than TikTok (2016<\/a>), came four years before Tumblr (2007<\/a>) and the first iPhone (2007<\/a>), beat Facebook to market by about a year (2004<\/a>), and is about five weeks older than Tesla (July 2003<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
May 27, 2023, marks exactly 20 years since Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little forked b2\/cafelog<\/a> to create WordPress Version 0.70<\/a>. Quite a bit has taken place in the past 20 years, and imagine how much more we can accomplish together in the next 20!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nYou can read about the first 20 years of WordPress in two parts:<\/em>
Milestones: The Story of WordPress (2003 – 2013)<\/a>
Building Blocks: The Evolution of WordPress (2013 – 2023)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nWhether you celebrate at one of the 100+ meetup<\/a> events, are strutting your stuff in some limited edition WP20 swag<\/a>, or joining in a collective reflection on WordPress<\/a> in your unique way on social media, WP20 is a celebration of you \u2013 the WordPress community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Common Legacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As I scroll through the amazing photos and memories shared on social media of past WordCamps and meetups, I think about the people who got WordPress to where it is today. The thousands of contributors who patched bugs and tested new features; organized events and fostered community; or wrote documentation and translated strings \u2014 how those contributions paved the road we travel today. A road that allows more people across the globe to use WordPress and contribute to WordPress, advancing the mission of democratizing publishing and giving us a little more freedom in the world. To the giants on whose shoulders we stand, those unsung, tireless, and passionate committers working through long nights and longer weekends: all of WordPress thanks you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dedication to and support of open source software has and will continue to ensure that WordPress endures for another 20 years and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nthe freedom to build.
the freedom to change.
the freedom to share.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\nThe more our community invests in itself and supports one another, the stronger WordPress and the open source software movement becomes. And WordPress benefits, not just the present community, but future generations of contributors, entrepreneurs, educators, and enterprises large and small alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Shared Future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If the last two decades are any indication of what lies ahead, then wow, the opportunity to innovate, lead, and sustain a versatile publishing platform will be profound!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking ahead at the next few years, our community will navigate Gutenberg Phases 3 and 4<\/a> together, delivering features that bring easy collaboration and multillingual support directly into the software. These next steps for WordPress will ensure our legacy of creating useful, relevant, and reliable software remains strong while keeping in mind the core elements of our mission regarding accessibility, performance, and stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n