I’ve been working with WordPress for a while, and 2026 has felt like a turning point. Between the plugin supply-chain attacks in April (the Essential Plugin backdoor and the Smart Slider 3 Pro incident), the ongoing governance drama, and the usual update anxiety, I’m curious how people in the trenches see it.

If you had to pick the 3 worst pillars damaging WordPress today, what would they be?

Some candidates to get the conversation going, but feel free to ignore them:

• Plugin security and supply chain trust (ownership transfers, no code signing)
• Plugin fatigue and fear of updating
• Performance and legacy architecture
• Governance and community trust
• Slow innovation compared to newer platforms
• Something else entirely

Not looking for a “WordPress is dead” debate. I still think it’s a great platform. I’m just interested in what’s actually costing you time, money, or clients.

What would your top 3 be, and why?

#wordpress #today #problems