October 14, 2024
Legal Battles and Controversies in the WordPress Community
The world of WordPress is seeing a heated battle. Two giants, Automattic and WP Engine, are clashing, and it's getting intense. Automattic, led by Matt Mullenweg, runs WordPress.com. WP Engine, on the other hand, hosts many WordPress sites and is backed by Silver Lake.
Automattic once had a stake in WP Engine but sold it to Silver Lake in 2018. There seems to be bad blood between the two companies. Events took a dramatic turn on September 20th. Automattic sent WP Engine a demand for an 8% royalty on its revenue. This request was due to what Mullenweg saw as WP Engine profiting from WordPress without giving back. He accused them of misusing trademarks and harming the WordPress ecosystem.
WP Engine refused to agree to the terms. The next day, Mullenweg called WP Engine a "cancer" to WordPress at a public event. He criticized private equity for damaging open-source communities. This sparked a flurry of legal actions and public statements. WordPress.org even banned WP Engine, stopping updates and new plugins for sites they host.
Automattic offered a severance package to employees unhappy with the situation. They promised $30,000 or six months' pay, leading 159 employees to leave. Mullenweg defended his stance across various media platforms. Meanwhile, WP Engine hit back with a lawsuit, accusing Automattic of many legal violations.
Even the WordPress login page became part of the drama. It required users to declare no ties to WP Engine before logging in. This added a new layer of complexity to the ongoing battle.
The feud has sparked talk of forking WordPress. This involves creating a separate version of the platform. The conflict leaves users caught in the middle, unsure of which side to support. Some see Mullenweg as a CEO willing to risk everything for WordPress. Others view WP Engine as a company driven by profit, not community.
In the end, the real casualty is the WordPress user. The ongoing dispute creates uncertainty and challenges for those relying on the platform every day.
