😳 WordPress Co-Founder Pays Employees To Quit

In partnership with

‎ ‎

Hey Waivly Crew! 🌊 In today’s edition, we’ve got a variety of topics to explore.

‎‎‏‏‎ ‎‎

Here’s what’s on the horizon today:

• 159 employees leave WordPress founder's company

• Apple Intelligence features to be released late October

• Gmail's Gemini-powered Q&A feature comes to iOS

Let’s dive in!

STORIES MAKING A SPLASH

^_BUSINESS
159 employees leave WordPress founder's company

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg offered employees $30,000 or six months’ salary to leave if they disagreed with his stance against WP Engine. As a result, 159 employees, or 8.4% of the company, accepted the offer. The conflict stems from Mullenweg’s criticism of WP Engine, which he accused of violating WordPress trademarks and not contributing to the open-source project.

WP Engine, owned by Silver Lake, responded by suing Automattic for extortion, a claim Automattic called "baseless." Mullenweg acknowledged that many employees disagreed with his actions, leading to their departure. He gave staff until October 3rd to make their decision, with no option for rehiring.

The resignations mainly affected the WordPress ecosystem division, where 79.2% of departures came from. Despite the turmoil, Mullenweg expressed gratitude and excitement for the remaining team, highlighting their commitment to stay.

^{_{EDITION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH}}
RYSE

The first mass-market shade automation technology

Smart-home startup RYSE launched the first device to automate existing window shades. Since then, they’ve sold over $8M worth of product to homeowners and businesses across North America!

What’s so unique about their technology?

Easy DIY 5 minute install that anyone can do. No tools needed!

Use voice control for your shades via the seamless integration with Alexa, Google Home or Siri (Apple Homekit).

Set it and forget it, once you set up schedules on the RYSE app, you won't have to worry about it ever again.

Access RYSE products, and automate your shades.

^_AI
Apple Intelligence features to be released late October

The iPhone 16 is set to receive Apple Intelligence with the release of iOS 18.1 on October 28th, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. This update brings AI-powered notification summaries, enhanced Siri features, and a colorful glowing edge animation when Siri is summoned.

Currently, Apple Intelligence is available on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer models, but it’s also in beta for Macs and iPads with Apple silicon chips (M1 and later). This allows users with those devices to explore its features, even without owning the latest iPhone models.

However, some key features are still missing. Siri's ability to manage tasks across multiple apps may not arrive until March, while other tools like Apple's Image Playground and Genmoji are expected to launch by December.

^_AI
Gmail's Gemini-powered Q&A feature comes to iOS

Google has introduced Gmail Q&A, a new feature powered by its Gemini AI, allowing users to search their inbox by asking questions. You can quickly find emails by asking things like, "What time is our dinner reservation on Saturday?" Initially available on Android, the feature is now rolling out to iPhones.

With Gemini, you can also find unread emails from specific senders or get summaries of long email threads on work projects. The chatbot can even handle general search queries within your inbox, eliminating the need to switch apps. Simply tap the star icon in Gmail to access the feature.

The rollout may take up to 15 days, but it's available only to users with Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium, or Google One AI Premium accounts.

CREATOR SPECIAL

^{_{CREATOR SPECIAL}}
Bart Zagrodzki

Bartosz Zagrodzki is a 22-year-old software engineer from Poland, passionate about creating modern software that improves lives. He is the developer of SyncReads, a service that syncs web content to devices for distraction-free reading and management.

^{_{CREATOR SPECIAL}}
Chirag Mahapatra

Chirag Mahapatra is the founder of NextAlpha, an AI platform that helps crypto traders by offering top trader insights, AI-assisted research, custom dashboards, and real-time news updates.

SAIL INTO A NEW CAREER

^{_{NEW JOB OPPORTUNITIES}}
Waivly Work Highlights

👩‍💻 Senior HR Systems & Controlling Specialist at Storyblok

👩‍💻 Chinese Speaking SEO Manager at ClickOut Media

👩‍💻 Sales Development Representative at Bitwarden

👩‍💻 Customer Success Manager at SOULCHI

👩‍💻 Analytics Engineering Lead at Scope3

👩‍💻 Global Marketing Intern at Sweatcoin

👩‍💻 JR UI/UX Designer at ília

👩‍💻 PL UX Researcher at ília

Discover more job opportunities with the Waivly Work newsletter. Click here to subscribe and elevate your job search! 🚀

THE WAVES

^{_{OTHER NEWS}}
More Stories Surfing The Web

🤔 MKBHD updates Panels app, but concerns remain

🎨 Facebook unveils a redesign aimed at Gen Z users

🔍 Chinese state hackers accessed US wiretap systems

📱 Apple expected to launch new iPhone SE in 2025

Discover more Waves in the Waivly Community. Click here to get onboard and join the community! 🌊

EXCLUSIVE WAIVLY+ STORY

^_WAIVLY+
Members-Only Story of The Day

As a Waivly+ member, you can enjoy today’s exclusive story as well as a huge lineup of other exciting perks including:

• Members-only Web3, AI, and tech content, insights, and news

• A bonus weekly newsletter to recap on everything in the week

• Private Discord channels, first-looks on new projects, and more

Not a member yet? Join Waivly+ now by clicking here 🎊 Enjoy a 50% saving on your membership by joining today!

BACK TO THE SHORE

^{_{THANKS FOR READING}}
That wraps up today’s newsletter

We hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter 🙌 Make sure to follow us on X, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn for even more content throughout the day - We’re @Waivly everywhere!‎‎

*Waivly+ is the premium Waivly membership. Join at anytime by clicking “Subscribe” and cancel anytime by heading to your account on Waivly.

*Want to advertise with Waivly? Click here to see our Advertisement packages.