Automattic buys podcast pocket casts3/18/2023 ![]() ![]() The company has recently hired a new head of developer relations who is building out a team tasked with improving the developer experience with Gutenberg and full-site editing. In addition to putting the Frontity team on improving developer experience, Automattic is also investing in other ways that expand its support of the Gutenberg project. ![]() We want to help it become the best development platform on the web. WordPress is already the best content platform on the web. We will look at the Gutenberg and full site editing space to identify those areas in which our work could have the most significant impact, and work closely with the WordPress community to help improve its developer experience. The founders intend to apply their expertise to the Gutenberg project full time:Įven though Frontity is a React framework, it doesn’t mean that we are going to push React to the WordPress frontend. In a separate FAQ document, Frontity clarified that this acquisition does not mean the framework will be merged into WordPress, nor does it mean the team plans to bring React into the WordPress PHP or full site editing themes. “In particular, to contribute our expertise in developer experience, frontend tooling, performance, and UX to the WordPress core itself, instead of doing so only for an external tool.” “After a series of conversations, Automattic offered to sponsor our team to work directly on the WordPress open source project,” Frontity’s founders said in the announcement. Their new focus will be on contributing to the WordPress open source project and improving the full site editing developer experience. Frontity co-founders Pablo Posti go and Luis Herranz and their team will no longer be developing and maintaining the framework. The acquisition comes more than a year after the company raised €1M in funding in a round led by K Fund, with Automattic covering 22%. We’re thrilled that we can continue to give our users a multitude of ways to tell and engage with stories that matter.Frontity co-founders Pablo Postigo and LuisĪutomattic has acquired Frontity, the company behind an open source framework for building WordPress themes with React. ![]() “As part of Automattic, Pocket Casts will continue to provide you with the features needed to enjoy your favorite podcasts (or find something new),” Automattic’s Head of Apps Eli Budelli said. “We will explore building deep integrations with and Pocket Casts, making it easier to distribute and listen to podcasts. Integration with may be on the horizon but it’s currently in the exploration stage. The company has also demonstrated a growing interest in podcasting-related technologies with its recent investment in Castos and partnership with Spotify’s Anchor podcast creation platform.Īcquisition announcements often include assurances of no changes for current customers but Automattic’s post made no promises and did not share many details regarding its plans for Pocket Casts. After acquiring Tumblr and Day One, Automattic is starting to gain a reputation for buying up apps that people love to use and giving them a fighting chance at financial stability and longevity. No financial details of the acquisition were disclosed but Automattic may have gotten a bargain on Pocket Casts if its other owners were also losing money. The board governing the company met in December 2020 and agreed to sell Pocket Casts. BBC Studios also held a small ownership stake in the platform prior to Automattic’s acquisition.ĭespite being widely regarded as one of the best podcasting apps available, NPR’s financial statements and auditor’s report from 2020 shows a net loss of more than $800K. In May 2018, Pocket Casts was acquired by public media organizations NPR, WNYC Studios, WBEZ Chicago, and This American Life. Its creators have been monetizing the app through its Pocket Cast Plus tier, which gives users access to desktop apps, cloud storage, watch playback, and themes and icons for $9.99/year. Previously a commercial-only app, Pocket Casts has been free since it switched to the freemium model in September 2019. The app allows users to keep all of their podcast subscriptions together in one place and sync between platforms. Australian co-founders Russell Ivanovic and Philip Simpson are staying on to continue leading Pocket Casts as a part of the acquisition. Automattic has acquired Pocket Casts, a popular podcast listening, search, and discovery app for Android and iOS. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |