We Asked AI What to Build First. Then Reality Taught Us Over Time.

By Mike Maio. Published 2026-04-16.

When we started building MAIO, we faced a very practical question:

Which WordPress editor should we support first?

It sounds simple — but it’s not.

Because WordPress isn’t one environment. It’s fragmented:


Each one behaves differently.
Each one requires separate development.

And early on, we were missing something critical:

We had no real data.


Step One: Ask AI

So we did what many builders do.

We asked ChatGPT:

“What are the most popular WordPress editors?”

The answer came back with rough scale numbers:

  1. Gutenberg — 82M
  2. Elementor — 18M
  3. Classic Editor — 9M

To make this easier to understand, let’s translate that into percentages:

  1. Gutenberg — ~75%

  2. Elementor — ~17%

  3. Classic Editor — ~8%

At that point, the conclusion felt obvious:

Start with Gutenberg.



Step Two: Build Without Perfect Information

And that’s exactly what we did.

We moved forward based on the best signal we had.

Because early-stage products don’t wait for certainty —
they move with direction.


Step Three: Data Starts Speaking

Then MAIO started getting real users.

Installs. Activity. Behavior.

And for the first time, we had something better than assumptions:

We had our own data.


What We See Today

Looking at real usage across MAIO customers today, the picture is very different:

  1. Elementor — 51%
  2. Gutenberg — 46%
  3. Classic Editor — 9%


The Gap Is the Insight

This is where things get interesting.

According to AI (and general web scale):

  • Gutenberg dominates (~75%)

  • Elementor is secondary (~17%)

But in real MAIO usage:

  • Elementor slightly leads (51%)

  • Gutenberg is close behind (46%)

That’s a completely different picture.


Why This Matters

If we had blindly followed the initial assumption,
we would have over-invested in Gutenberg early on
and under-delivered for a huge portion of our actual users.

Instead, we adapted.


The Real Lesson

AI gave us direction.

But it didn’t give us context.

And context is everything.

  • AI reflects the global web

  • Your product reflects your users

Those are not always the same.


How This Shapes MAIO

This insight directly affects how we build:

  • Where features launch first

  • Where we invest in UX

  • How we prioritize development

We don’t just ask:

“What’s popular?”

We ask:

“What matters to our users?”


A Better Way to Build

Looking back, the process worked exactly as it should:

  1. Start with AI guidance

  2. Build fast

  3. Learn from real usage

  4. Adjust priorities

Not guessing forever.
Not waiting forever.

Just evolving.


What This Means for You

When you use MAIO, you’re not using a product built on assumptions.

You’re using something shaped by real behavior.

Real users.
Real patterns.
Real priorities.


And we’re continuing to learn every day.

Because the best roadmap isn’t planned once —
it’s discovered over time.

Mike Maio,  Founder, MAIO