Live from Ecomm Forum, host Brent Peterson sits down with industry veterans to discuss the latest trends shaping ecommerce. Ben Marks is a well-known figure in the open source commerce community who recently transitioned from his previous employer to launch several new ventures. The conversation covers Ben’s new role with the PHP Foundation, his work with Nomicore, and his perspective on the current state of Magento and Adobe Commerce.
Key Takeaways
- Ben Marks has taken on the role of handling all fundraising efforts for the PHP Foundation, an organization that maintains and develops the PHP programming language
- PHP continues to thrive despite long-standing predictions about its demise, with ongoing improvements and community support driving its relevance
- Magento remains supported by Adobe but hasn’t received feature updates in years, only security and performance patches
- The open source community around Magento stays strong, with volunteers continuing to contribute time and effort
- AI is becoming a forcing function for commerce companies, separating those who will survive from those who won’t
- Data is emerging as the new storefront, replacing traditional SEO-focused strategies
- Intentionality matters when adopting AI tools—companies need to start somewhere and build momentum
- AI-powered shopping experiences are already changing consumer behavior and purchase patterns
About Ben Marks
Ben has spent his entire career working in and around the PHP ecosystem, building expertise in open source commerce platforms and community development. His background includes significant time at Magento, where he helped shape developer relations and consulted on the founding of the Magento Association. After leaving Adobe in May, Ben launched into consulting work while taking on leadership positions that allow him to give back to the communities that built his career. His expertise spans ecommerce platforms, developer advocacy, and open source governance. Beyond his technical knowledge, Ben brings a unique perspective on how communities form, thrive, and create value beyond traditional business models.
Episode Summary
Ben shares his new ventures since leaving Shopware in May, including his role handling fundraising for the PHP Foundation and joining the founding team at Nomicore. He pushes back on the narrative that PHP is dying, explaining how the language continues to improve through foundation support and community contributions. Recent developments include significant performance improvements and new features like an official MCP package.
The conversation shifts to the current state of Magento and Adobe Commerce. Ben offers a candid assessment, noting that while Adobe still supports Magento and the Magento Association, the product hasn’t received feature updates in years. Adobe Commerce continues to develop separately. Ben suggests a clear line needs to be drawn between these products and personally would love to see Magento turned over to the ecosystem. Despite these complexities, he remains impressed by how many people still care deeply about Magento and continue contributing to the community.
Ben discusses highlights from the ecommerce forum, particularly a panel featuring executives from commercetools, Shopware, and Klaviyo discussing AI’s impact on commerce. The key takeaway centers on intentionality. Klaviyo takes 10 minutes during every all-hands meeting to showcase efficiency improvements made with AI. This approach separates companies that will thrive from those that won’t. Sharon from commercetools champions the idea that data is the new storefront, arguing that companies need to rethink strategies as search engine traffic declines.
Ben illustrates this shift with a personal shopping experience. He asked ChatGPT to help find specific boots in black for his wife before a wedding trip. The AI analyzed their travel route, evaluated delivery options, found a shoe shop in Lexington, Massachusetts along their route, verified the store had reliable inventory data through their Magento 2 site, and provided everything needed to complete the purchase. This experience changed how Ben Marks thinks about shopping in the future.
Final Thoughts
Ben Marks brings a valuable perspective to the ongoing transformation happening in ecommerce and open source technology. His work with the PHP Foundation ensures that the underlying technology powering billions in commerce transactions continues to evolve. His involvement with Nomicore points toward a future where natural language replaces structured searches. His continued engagement with the Magento community demonstrates how open source ecosystems create lasting value beyond any single company’s control.
As the lines between search, discovery, and purchase continue to blur, one question remains: Will your commerce strategy enable customers where they want to be, or will you keep investing in where they used to be?
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