TLDRs;
Contents
- Tumblr’s backend migration to WordPress has been paused as Automattic shifts focus to user-requested features.
- CEO Matt Mullenweg confirmed that while the move is still a long-term goal, it is not currently being worked on.
- Fediverse integration tied to the migration is also delayed, though future implementation on Tumblr’s current codebase is possible.
- The decision reflects Automattic’s ongoing struggle to modernize Tumblr while balancing practicality with platform-wide ambitions.
Tumblr’s long-planned migration to a WordPress-based backend has been put on ice, as parent company Automattic reorients its priorities.
Speaking last week, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg confirmed the ambitious project is no longer a current focus, citing the need to address more immediate user demands.
The move, originally announced in 2024, aimed to transfer Tumblr’s roughly 500 million blogs to WordPress.com’s infrastructure. Automattic had framed the migration as a strategic effort to unify its platforms and streamline feature development. But as of now, that vision is paused indefinitely.
“We want to focus as much on the things that are going to be noticeable to users and that users are asking for,” Mullenweg explained during the interview.
From unified platforms to shifting priorities
When first revealed, the migration promised a seamless backend transition that users likely wouldn’t notice, but that would allow Tumblr to benefit from WordPress.com’s robust, scalable architecture. It was positioned as a practical solution to accelerating feature rollout across both platforms, with Automattic emphasizing its goal of “building once and bringing it to both WordPress and Tumblr.”
However, Mullenweg now says that while the migration still makes sense in principle, it is not an active project.
“I still want to do it,” he said. “It’s just cleaner. But right now, we’re not working on it.”
Fediverse integration also delayed
Another major aspect of the migration was the potential for fediverse compatibility. WordPress.com currently supports ActivityPub, a protocol that allows content to flow across decentralized social networks. By moving Tumblr to WordPress, the plan was to enable Tumblr posts to automatically appear in the fediverse, tapping into the growing ecosystem of open social platforms like Mastodon.
According to Mullenweg, this would have been a “free way” to bring Tumblr into the federated web. With the backend migration shelved, however, that integration is now also on hold. If the demand for fediverse functionality grows, Automattic may instead build it directly on Tumblr’s existing codebase.
Tumblr’s future remains uncertain
Automattic acquired Tumblr from Verizon in 2019, hoping to breathe new life into the aging platform. Since then, Tumblr has undergone several experiments, from live video tests to interface tweaks aimed at recapturing its early-2010s relevance. But the momentum has been uneven. A recent internal memo from Mullenweg indicated that many Tumblr team members were being reassigned, with the platform’s long-term strategy focused on efficiency and sustainability.
While the original plan to merge backends and adopt fediverse standards was ambitious, Automattic’s decision to pause reflects the complex tradeoffs in modern platform management. The company appears increasingly focused on delivering features that resonate with active users, rather than pursuing backend overhauls that offer long-term benefits but minimal short-term impact.
For now, Tumblr will remain on its current infrastructure, and any future move to WordPress or the fediverse remains a “maybe.” As Mullenweg noted, “It might happen someday.” But until then, Automattic seems more intent on listening to its users than chasing architectural elegance.
