Automattic's board voted to place founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, installing CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO. Mullenweg said he opposed the move and was given only 50 minutes to review the resolution before the vote, calling it a conspiracy by board members Mark Davies, Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker. Automattic confirmed the leave in a statement, while WordPress.org's executive director said the open-source project remains unaffected and Mullenweg still leads it.
Apple's latest product event introduced hardware like the Apple Watch Series 12, Apple Watch Ultra 4, AirPods 5, iPhone 18 Pro models, and the foldable iPhone Duo, but not everything ships immediately. While the Watch and AirPods models arrive September 18 alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, the iPhone Duo won't ship until October 23, and several Apple Intelligence features—including expanded Siri AI language support—won't roll out until later in 2026.
Apple confirmed that not all products and features unveiled at its latest event will ship simultaneously. The Apple Watch Series 12, Watch Ultra 4 and AirPods 5 arrive Sept. 18, followed by the iPhone 18 Pro models on the same date, while the foldable iPhone Duo won't ship until Oct. 23. Software updates including iOS 27 land Sept. 14, but Siri AI remains a beta feature rolling out gradually, first in English, then in French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish by October.
Automattic's board voted to place founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, a move he says was orchestrated behind his back by CFO Mark Davies alongside board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker. Davies has been named interim CEO, though Mullenweg reportedly remains on the board. WordPress.org's executive director Mary Hubbard says the open-source project itself is unaffected and Mullenweg still leads it.
At its Cupertino event, Apple shifted from its previously cautious approach to AI, opening the keynote with a direct focus on artificial intelligence rather than vague talk of 'intelligence.' New CEO John Ternus framed the iPhone as an 'intelligent personal hub' that uses personal context—calendars, contacts, messages, and app activity—to power smarter, more relevant assistance across Apple's ecosystem.
Engadget's podcast hosts Devindra Hardawar and Karissa Bell discuss Apple's newly unveiled iPhone Duo, the company's first foldable phone, and how it compares to Samsung's earlier foldable designs. They also cover the iPhone 18 Pro, which introduces a variable aperture camera but is expected to draw less attention than the Duo this year.
Apple published a new support document clarifying that Siri AI, Image Playground, Clean Up, Extend, Spatial Reframing, and certain Shortcuts and developer tools relying on server-side models will face usage limits. The company says limits will vary by feature, complexity, and demand, and that users who hit them will temporarily lose access before it's restored. Apple confirmed increased access can be purchased, though it hasn't disclosed exact thresholds or a rollout timeline.
At its 'Surprise and Shine' event, Apple confirmed that the new LLM-based Siri AI, built with Google, will launch in English alongside iOS 27 on September 14. French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish support will follow in October, executive Lilian Rincon said. The announcement came alongside new hardware including the foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro models, Apple Watch Series 12 Ultra 4 and AirPods 5.
Apple's 'Surprise and Shine' event introduced the iPhone Duo, its first foldable phone priced at $1,999, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, updated AirPods, and Apple Watches with improved heart rate sensors. The event marked the public debut of John Ternus, who became Apple's CEO on September 1 after leading hardware engineering, and who opened the show discussing AI's role in daily life.
Apple released a paper explaining how Audio Intelligence works on the new Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4, covering Sound Recognition, Music Recognition with Shazam, Live Rewind, and Siri Recap. The company emphasized that all four features are opt-in, with Live Rewind and Siri Recap arriving in beta later this year with English support.
Apple published full release notes for macOS 27 Golden Gate, confirming a September 14 rollout to all users. The update introduces a redesigned Siri AI built on Apple Intelligence, integrated into Spotlight and a new dedicated app, plus Visual Intelligence for acting on onscreen content, enhanced photo editing tools, and Safari upgrades like automatic tab grouping and page-change alerts.
At Goldman Sachs' Communacopia + Technology Conference, CoreWeave CEO Mike Intrator acknowledged that the industry hasn't adequately communicated the benefits of AI-driven data centers to the public, contributing to growing local opposition to their construction. Visa CEO Ryan McInerney separately noted that consumers remain skeptical of letting AI agents handle payments on their behalf, slowing adoption of agentic commerce.
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