Automattic debuts a platform to deploy vibe-coding apps amid a changing internet

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has launched Spacefast, a service for deploying websites and apps built through vibe coding, TechCrunch reports. The platform supplies the backend pieces such projects usually lack, including databases, authentication, file uploads, email and analytics. Users can connect it to a wide range of AI agents and chatbots, among them ChatGPT, Claude, Grok Bot, Cursor and Amp, or start from a Git repository.

The product is led by Batuhan İçöz, who built an early version, then called Stattic, during a company hackathon earlier this year while working on Automattic's messaging app Beeper. He told TechCrunch the idea came from friends without technical backgrounds sending him Vercel links, and from his view that Automattic's own CDN could match Cloudflare. Automattic soft-launched Spacefast in September, and early users have built internal mockups, slideshows and promotional sites.

Spacefast faces competitors such as Lovable and Emergent, along with Figma, Canva and Notion. İçöz argues its edge is letting people pick their own agent. He also points to Automattic's analytics, WordPress and WooCommerce tools, and its experience with enterprises dealing with sprawling landing pages. He expects some users to leave, and acknowledged that many people now build sites with chatbots instead of WordPress.

The launch follows a turbulent stretch for Automattic. TechCrunch notes that its board briefly ousted CEO Matt Mullenweg before he regained control within days and the board was replaced. An interim CFO departed soon after appointment, and layoffs began in October.