Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com, has launched Spacefast, a new service designed to deploy so-called vibe-coded websites and apps, offering infrastructure such as databases, authentication, file uploads, email and analytics to turn them into functional web properties.
Spacefast is headed by Batuhan Icoz, who worked on it during one of the company’s hackathon sprints earlier this year. Icoz, who was working on the cross-platform messaging app Beeper at the time, told TechCrunch he often received Vercel links from non-technical friends exploring vibe coding.
“I thought there had to be a better way for everyone to set up and deploy their projects. Automattic already has good infrastructure, but we have been traditionally associated with just WordPress. I thought, why do I have to use Cloudflare when we have a CDN (Content Delivery Network) just as good? So I started working on what was called Stattic and now Spacefast,” he said.
Users can connect Spacefast with agents and chatbots including ChatGPT, Claude, Hermes, OpenClaw, Grokbot, Muse, Pi, Cursor, Opencode and Amp, or connect a Git repository. The company soft-launched the product in September to gather feedback before its launch. The company has seen varied use cases, with people and organisations using it for internal mockups, slideshows and offer-related websites.
Spacefast competes with services such as Lovable and Emergent, as well as productivity and design tools from Figma, Canva and Notion that sit at the intersection of vibe coding, mockups and presentations. Icoz said Spacefast’s advantage is giving users a choice of their agent. The counter-argument is that some users may not want to choose and would prefer everything figured out for them. Spacefast said being within Automattic gives it the advantage of being able to launch web analytics, WordPress integration and e-commerce features through WooCommerce easily to compete better.
“For enterprises, the problem right now is IT sprawl, as their marketing teams are churning out landing pages on services like Lovable, and they want to consolidate and work with a company that understands the enterprise needs. With our existing products, we have experience serving enterprise customers,” Icoz said.
On user retention, Icoz said he expects some churn, as users may not be interested in making apps at all. “I think what we need to do as a product is make sure that when you build something with Spacefast, it is so easy, and the results are so much better than without Spacefast,” he said.
The launch comes during a turbulent period at Automattic. The company’s board forced CEO Matt Mullenweg out in an incident reminiscent of the OpenAI-Sam Altman saga, but he returned within days. The rebel board was replaced, and the interim CFO left within weeks of appointment. In October, TechCrunch reported that the company had begun layoffs across several properties, with more cuts expected.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Spacefast represents a major web infrastructure company adapting to the rise of AI-generated content, potentially changing how websites are built and hosted.
- It opens vibe coding to a wider audience by providing backend services (databases, auth, analytics) that users would otherwise need to arrange separately.
- The move comes as many publishers face declining traffic from AI summaries, and Automattic is responding by serving the new wave of AI-created web experiences rather than resisting it.
Background
Automattic is the company behind WordPress, the world's most widely used content management system. Vibe coding refers to using AI chatbots and agents to generate software applications through natural language prompts, without traditional programming. Early services like Lovable emerged to let users build and host such apps. Automattic has recently experienced internal turmoil, including the ousting and reinstatement of CEO Matt Mullenweg and subsequent layoffs.
Key Perspectives
- Batuhan Icoz (Spacefast head): Wants to give users a choice of AI agent and make deployment easier than alternatives, while acknowledging that some users may prefer a fully guided experience.
- Automattic (via Icoz): Positions Spacefast as an enterprise-friendly solution for consolidating AI-generated landing pages, leveraging existing Automattic infrastructure and enterprise experience.
What to Watch
- How quickly Spacefast gains adoption and whether it can retain users beyond the initial novelty of AI-generated apps.
- Whether Automattic integrates Spacefast deeply with WordPress and WooCommerce, potentially reshaping its core business.
- The impact of ongoing leadership and workforce instability at Automattic on the product's development and support.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedAutomattic launched Spacefast to let users deploy vibe-coded websites and apps as the web changes.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “WordPress.com owner Automattic is responding to the changing state of the web by debuting a new service called Spacefast, which will allow users to deploy vibe-coded websites and apps.”
- SupportedSpacefast provides infrastructure including databases, authentication and analytics for vibe-coded sites and apps.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Spacefast is designed to provide infrastructure for the vibe-coded apps, including databases, authentication, file uploads, emails, and analytics”
- SupportedSpacefast competes with Lovable and Emergent.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “The product competes with the likes of Lovable and Emergent”
- SupportedIcoz said, “I thought there had to be a better way for everyone to set up and deploy their projects.”AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: ““I thought there had to be a better way for everyone to set up and deploy their projects.”
- SupportedIcoz said, “For enterprises, the problem right now is IT sprawl,” with marketing teams churning out landing pages and wanting to consolidate.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: ““For enterprises, the problem right now is IT sprawl, as their marketing teams are churning out landing pages on services like Lovable, and they want to consolidate”
- SupportedIcoz said Spacefast should make building easy and produce better results, saying, “I think what we need to do as a product is make sure that when you build something with Spacefast, it is so easy, and the results are so much better than without Spacefast.”AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: ““I think what we need to do as a product is make sure that when you build something with SpaceFast, it is so easy, and the results are so much better than without SpaceFast,””
- SupportedAutomattic owns WordPress.com.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “WordPress.com owner Automattic”
- SupportedUsers can connect Spacefast to agents and chatbots or connect a Git repository.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Users can connect Spacefast with other agents and chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Hermes, OpenClaw, Grokbot, Muse, Pi, Cursor, Opencode, and Amp. Alternatively, they can connect a Git repository”
- SupportedAutomattic soft-launched Spacefast in September to gather feedback before launch.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “Automattic soft-launched the product in September to get feedback before today’s launch.”
- SupportedAutomattic’s board forced CEO Matt Mullenweg out, and he was back in control within days.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “the company’s board forced CEO Matt Mullenweg out , but he was back in control within days .”
- SupportedThe rebel board was replaced, and the interim CFO left within weeks of being appointed.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “The rebel board was eventually replaced , and the interim CFO left within weeks of appointment.”
- SupportedIn October, TechCrunch reported that Automattic had begun layoffs across several properties and expected more cuts.AI News & Artificial Intelligence | TechCrunch: “In October, TechCrunch reported that the company had began layoffs across several properties and more cuts were expected.”
