StripeCon 2026 wrap up

The European Silverstripe CMS community gathered in Salzburg, Austria, for StripeCon 2026—hosted by netwerkstatt(opens in new tab) and S2Hub(opens in new tab).

Running from 16 to 18 September, the three-day(opens in new tab) event brought around 45 developers and digital experts from all over Europe to collaborate and share knowledge on the future of web content and development. 

Over the three days, developers contributed bug fixes and user interface improvements during the Hackday, and during the two conferences days covered a wide range of advanced talks on accessibility, performance, testing, managing portfolios of websites, and using AI.

Our CEO, Sigurd Magnusson, travelled from Aotearoa New Zealand to attend in person for his first time, and connect with the community. While the rest of the Silverstripe team supported from home, Sam Minnée and Jenn McKubre presented remotely from New Zealand, sharing their expertise with attendees.

Jenn, our Product and Services Director, gave a presentation reminding us why we build technology in the first place: to empower people. She explored what it means to build and maintain a CMS that is genuinely designed for humans, including both developers and content editors.

Jenn covered practical ways to improve the everyday digital experience. She highlighted low-stress workflows, accessibility improvements, AI integrations, and tackling tech debt. 

Sam Minnée, Silverstripe Co-founder and Ask Astro CEO, presented "Make sure that the humans win", a talk about amplifying people with AI, not replacing them. Some highlights from Sam's talk are:

• The risks and worries around AI. "I get to shape how this technology is used even if I can't control what frontier labs do".
• Organisational culture and AI: Human flourishing requires meaning and a big part of that is to contribute in a meaningful way and with agency.
• Productivity vs efficiency: Let's not ask whether we can achieve our goals with fewer people. Let's ask how much more we can each do. Let's take all of that metis (aka, tacit knowledge) and amplify it.
• Build a world where everyone does more of what most matters to them. Make something uniquely kiwi — and use AI like we should use every new technology.

There were plenty of other insightful talks delivered both in person and online. You can watch the streaming videos and a recap here(opens in new tab).

As the creators of Silverstripe CMS, we were proud to sponsor the Hackday on Day 1. It's always inspiring to see people working side-by-side to solve complex challenges and build on the platform.

A major focus throughout the conference was the rapid disruption of the IT industry by AI. Developers are experiencing a massive shift in how they work, the skills they need, and what they value in their roles. As Sigurd reflected after the event, we can now create fundamentally new things that were previously too expensive or time-consuming. We are seeing a move from time-intensive data entry interfaces to empowering users to manipulate information powerfully through natural conversational language.

While these technological shifts bring confronting change, they also offer far better ways for people to get their work done. The demos shared throughout the week showed just how much is now possible, and as a community of developers, we are just starting to figure out what we have at our fingertips.

There is a deep respect within the Silverstripe CMS whānau for using AI to genuinely benefit people. We appreciate the hard mahi of the organisers, speakers, and everyone who attended. It is an exciting time for digital innovation, and we couldn't ask for a smarter, more well-reasoned group of people to navigate these challenges and opportunities with.