Why Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg Went to War Over WordPress, by @photomatt and @nilaypatel (@verge):
A collective of former #WordPress #developers and contributors backed by #LinuxFoundation launched FAIR Package Manager, a new and independent distribution system for trusted WordPress #plugins and #themes.
This is a response to recent controversy after legal conflict between commercial WordPress hosting providers #Automattic and #WPEngine, after former banned the latter's access to the WordPress platform used by all WordPress sites to keep plugins and themes up-to-date.
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/technology/linux-foundation-unveils-decentralized-wordpress-plugin-manager/
Search Engine Journal: Mullenweg Considers Delaying WordPress Releases Through 2027. “A leaked WordPress Slack chat shows that Matt Mullenweg is considering limiting future WordPress releases to just one per year from now through 2027 and insists that the only way to get Automattic to contribute more is to pressure WP Engine to drop their lawsuit. One WordPress developer who read that message […]
If this is true then only @wordpressdotcom would receive updates while the rest of the #WordPress community withers.
@photomatt Considers Delaying WordPress Releases Through 2027 https://www.searchenginejournal.com/mullenweg-considers-delaying-wordpress-releases-through-2027/541821/
I am not a lawyer or time traveler, but from Matt’s odd statements, it appears that #WPEngine may actually win their lawsuit against #Automattic.
Matt on the other hand is “cutting off his nose to spite his face” with these measures, which is baffling honestly.
For example, it would appear most/all #WordPress site RSS feeds hosted on #WPEngine are recently inaccessible to a simple PHP script or curl command; I get 403 even when rotating network locations and providing a reasonable-looking user agent.
I've got to say that @photomatt has a point here:
"#WPEngine’s historically slim contributions underscore the imbalance that must be addressed for the health of WordPress. We believe in fairness and shared responsibility, and we hope this move encourages greater participation across all organizations that benefit from #WordPress."
https://automattic.com/2025/01/09/aligning-automattics-sponsored-contributions-to-wordpress/
I’ve been watching this drama unfold for months but hadn’t bothered to try and understand the deeper story. Nor take a position. This is only one article but it was a good one. And helpful.
As crazy as Matt has acted, I understand his passion. I’m inclined to side with the guy who’s spent his life building the open source thing. Even with his possibly conflict of interest, for-profit side hustle. I can’t find any reason to give a damn about, or defend WP Engine.
Open to your thoughts.
Ty @ernie and @vmstan
for getting it in my timeline.
#wordpress #wpengine #MattVsWPEngine #PHPlonMusk
https://writing.exchange/@ernie/113925866975683760
A WordPress developer has filed a legal motion to intervene in the ongoing case between WP Engine and Automattic, calling for a Governance Oversight Board #WordPress #Automattic #WPEngine #OpenSource #WebDevelopment #MattMullenweg #Web #CMS OpenSource
A WordPress has filed a legal motion to intervene in the ongoing case between WP Engine and Automattic, calling for a Governance Oversight Board #WordPress #Automattic #WPEngine #OpenSource #WebDevelopment #MattMullenweg #Web #CMS OpenSource
Michale Willman asks to intervene in #WPEngine v #Automattic suit as a plaintiff, citing failure of Automattic to comply with injunction and attacks by #Mullenweg against Wilman https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.437474/gov.uscourts.cand.437474.70.0.pdf
Matt Mullenweg Says WPE Lawsuit Could End WordPress… Um Nope!
In a post from Search Engine Journal, Roger Montti reports that Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of the WordPress open source content management system, says that the lawsuit with WP Engine could end WordPress.
Honestly this has me fuming. Because WordPress is so much more than just Matt. It has a huge community of supporters and developers that won’t let this happen.
What could happen, and should happen, is that WordPress gets forked and that version taken over by the community-at-large.
Matt could shut down WordPress.org and everything and the community would find a way to keep the core software running.
To me, this crowing from Matt is a play for sympathy for something HE started and is now probably feeling he’s gotten in too deep.
The growing consensus, from what I see online, is that Matt has lost the PR battle and is now on the defensive. I’m not sure what he can do to reverse course. But honestly he won’t, he’ll just keep digging himself into a hole.
Am I overly concerned that the WordPress software that powers 40%+ of the Websites on the web going away totally? No.
I am worried about what my clients and future clients think about using the software.
Matt is hurting much more than just himself here.
It’s unforgivable.
#Business #Challenges
WordPress is in trouble · “Things have gone off the rails.” https://ilo.im/161tij
_____
#WordPress #Automattic #WpEngine #Community #Development #WebDev #Backend #CMS
@jbz so I guess #Mullenweg wants #WPengine et. al. to "#ForkOff!" and build a better #WordPress without him...
#NeoPress / #NewPress / #LibrePress #fork of WordPress, when?
Search Engine Journal: Automattic Turns Against WordPress Community Itself. “Automattic announced it is minimizing support for the WordPress.org CMS project, using words and phrases that present the withdrawal of support as a positive change to make WordPress stronger, while casting blame on WP Engine for its decision to minimize contributions.”
»#Automattic says it will reduce its contribution to #WordPress core project to match #WPEngine: It’s a new year, but #drama in the #WordPresscommunity keeps going.« https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/10/automattic-says-it-will-reduce-its-contribution-to-wordpress-core-project-to-match-wp-engine/?eicker.news #tech #media
Automattic plans to reduce its WordPress contributions to ~45 hours per week amid lawsuits from WP Engine, focusing mainly on security and critical updates. 
#WordPress #Automattic #WPEngine #TechNews #Security #OpenSource #LegalImpact #SoftwareDevelopment
Automattic has announced a reduction in its WordPress.org contributions, citing legal pressures and criticism from the broader WordPress community #WordPress #Automattic #WPEngine #OpenSource #ACF #WebDevelopment #WebDesign #WebDesign
️ Veille et partage
La guerre juridique entre WP Engine et Matt Mullenweg prend une tournure qui peut devenir inquiétante, ce dernier ayant décidé de faire une « pause ».
#WordPress #WPEngine #LogicielLibre
