Automattic puts Tumblr migration to WordPress on hold

In a recent announcement, Automattic's CEO, Matt Mullenweg, revealed that the migration of Tumblr to the WordPress platform has been temporarily suspended. During an appearance on The Verge’s Decoder podcast, which aired on Monday, Mullenweg stated that the project is currently 'on hold' for an undetermined timeframe. Mullenweg emphasized the company's decision to prioritize initiatives that directly enhance user experience. He described the migration as more of an infrastructural upgrade, akin to a major re-architecture. 'I still want to do it. It’s just cleaner. But right now, we’re not working on it,' he explained. This development raises important questions regarding Tumblr's potential integration into the open social web, often referred to as the fediverse. By transitioning to WordPress, Tumblr would have transformed into a federated application. While Mullenweg acknowledged the advantages of this migration, he suggested that it is no longer at the forefront of their plans. 'If there was a big push to implement fediverse, we would just do it on the Tumblr code base,' he noted. Additionally, Mullenweg reiterated that Tumblr continues to operate at a loss, relying on the revenues generated from other Automattic products. Despite this, he expressed optimism about Tumblr's future and his commitment to providing it with the necessary resources to find its way forward.