Automattic debuts Spacefast, a backend for vibe-coded apps

Automattic's move comes as the way people build for the web is shifting. İçöz, who worked on the product during a company hackathon while on the Beeper team, said he often received Vercel links from non-technical friends exploring vibe coding, and he questioned why Automattic should rely on outside infrastructure when it already runs its own CDN.

The company soft-launched Spacefast in September to gather feedback, and early uses have ranged from internal mockups and slideshows to offer-related websites. İçöz acknowledged that users may churn after trying new AI products, and said the goal is to make building with Spacefast easy enough and the results good enough to keep them. He also noted that enterprises face IT sprawl as marketing teams churn out landing pages on services like Lovable, and he believes Automattic's experience serving enterprise customers can help it compete.

The launch lands during a turbulent stretch for Automattic. The company's board forced CEO Matt Mullenweg out before he returned to control within days, the rebel board was replaced, the interim CFO left within weeks, and in October TechCrunch reported layoffs across several properties with more cuts expected.