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The entire WordPress community has been shaken by the crazy drama between WordPress cofounder and Automattic CEO, Matt Mullenweg, and WP Engine, which hosts websites built on WordPress. The heated controversy has people sweating that they could be next to lose access to one of the most popular technologies for creating and hosting sites in the world.
So what’s really going on? We’re laying out all the details, so you can stay in the loop (or pick a side if you want) and know what to expect moving forward.
Meet the Contenders
As most of you know, WordPress is open source and free, powering a huge portion of the internet — 40% of websites to be more accurate.
WP Engine, on the other hand, is a third-party hosting company that uses WordPress software to create and sell its own prepackaged WordPress hosting service. Since launching in 2010, it has grown to be a significant rival of WordPress.com, with more than 200,000 websites being powered through its service.
Now, there are technically two different WordPresses: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. The .org is an open-source project that is the backbone of the WordPress publishing platform, while .com is a company that sells the hosted version of the open-source WordPress software, just like WP Engine. It’s owned by Automattic, which is owned by Mullenweg. Not only does it sell plans on the site, but it also contributes tremendously to the development effort of .org, which relies heavily on donations and community contributions to run.
WP Engine runs a bit differently, investing in the community through sponsorships and encouragement for the adoption of the platform. In 2018, it was acquired by a PE firm, Silver Lake.
The Backstory
So here’s where the turmoil comes in. Mullenweg views WP Engine as a business that profits off the open-source code without giving anything back — a precedent he had set for all major profiters when the company first launched.
At WordCamp this fall, he took a direct shot at WP Engine by saying, “The company is controlled by Silver Lake, a private equity firm with $102 million in assets under management. Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your open source ideals — it just wants return on capital. So, it’s at this point I ask everyone in the WordPress community to go vote with your wallet. Who are you going to give your money to: someone who is going to nourish the ecosystem or someone who is going to frack every bit of value out of it until it withers?”
He continued with another statement in a blog post, criticizing the company for only contributing 40 hours per week to WordPress.org, and commenting, ““WP Engine is setting a poor standard that others may look at and think is ok to replicate. We must set a higher standard to ensure WordPress is here for the next 100 years.” And that it’s “giving users a ‘crappier experience so they can make more money.’”
Even further, Mullenweg says that WP Engine is profiting off of the confusion of the company’s branding by using the “WP” name. As a result, they’re promising the experience of WordPress, but aren’t delivering. As a result, “WP Engine will need a commercial license for the ‘unauthorized’ use of the WordPress trademark, which is controlled by the WordPress Foundation.”
Oof.
The Current Situation
So as you can imagine, WP Engine had to respond. Technically, the company is abiding by the open-source license’s rules. They don’t have to contribute anything by requirement.
The conflict has recently escalated with an array of legal threats, as WP Engine sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mullenweg and Automattic, asking them to withdraw their comments, and defending itself with the assurance that the WordPress trademark is covered under fair use. From their perspective, Mullenweg is taking a “scorched earth nuclear approach,” unless it agrees to pay up.
In proper tit for tat fashion, the WordPress Foundation sent its own cease-and-desist letter, claiming WP Engine breached WordPress and WooCommerce trademark usage rules. They also changed their Trademark Policy Page, calling WP Engine out.
WP Engine feels that demanding over tens of millions to his for-profit company (Automattic), while masquerading as a protector of the WordPress community isn’t cool — at all. And they refuse to accede to the demands.
The Impact
With Mullenweg has banned WP Engine from accessing the resources of WordPress.org, elements like plug-ins and themes are no longer usable by WP Engine. Without these important updates, which in turn has broken a lot of websites and left them vulnerable to security attacks. But the block was only temporary — at first. He gave WP Engine until October 1st to create their own solution or resolve the conflict.
And on that day exactly, WP Engine took to X to report that they have fully deployed their own solution and regular workflow practices have been restored to their global customers.
But what about everyone else?
The Two Sides
So you have users who are 100% in WordPress’ corner, in full agreement that WPEngine wasn’t pulling their weight in terms of the platform’s contract.
The other side is a little more neutral. Sure, they agree that everyone needs to contribute their share. But they also can’t totally get on board with the way WordPress responded. Hijacking its technology from an external team of developers seems a little extreme to them. That even includes 159 Automattic employees (80% of which are in Automattic’s Ecosystem / WordPress division), who went packing, opting for their severance packages over compliance with the company’s actions.
Even David Heinemeier Hansson, creator of Ruby on the Rails chimed in, saying that “Automattic is completely out of line, and the potential damage to the open source world extends far beyond WordPress.”
Coincidentally (or not) on that same day, Mullenweg added a new request for verification check box to the WordPress contributor login, to ensure users are in no way associated with WP Engine.
So here we are. The WordPress community, including long-time users and similar projects, are now left in worry that the same could happen to them. They want completely clear guidance from Automattic on how they can and cannot use “WordPress.”
And with the WordPress Foundation also filing for trademarks on “Managed WordPress” and “Hosted WordPress,” developers fear these could also be used against them — if they’re successful. If their access can disappear in the blink of an eye, how can we rely on any commercial open-source WordPress products moving forward?
The Conclusion
Well, there isn’t really one yet. But as developers and users of WordPress in many ways ourselves, we can make speculations. What the web needs is more independent organizations, breaking up the monopoly that dominates the CMS market and diversifying the options available to us all. But you can take immediate steps to secure your site and prepare for what’s next.
The Things WP Engine Users CAN Do
As legal battles and lawsuits rage on, it’s important to stay informed. Regularly monitor official channels and forums that provide timely details regarding the progression of the dispute and hopefully, any resolutions that come of it.
Also be sure to perform manual updates. Since they won’t be happening automatically, you should be going in and downloading the latest versions from official sources and uploading them via FTP or the hosting control panel. It’s more time-consuming, yes, BUT it's worth the security.
On that note, backup your site regularly as well. Having copies of your site stored securely are an important safety net for unforeseen issues.
You can also explore alternatives or consider migration in the meantime. Start looking into other managed WordPress hosting providers — ones like SiteGround, Kinsta, and BlueHost. Migration to another hosting provider can be a tedious process, but many of them do offer assistance and tools to help make transferring website files and databases, as well as configuration, a lot smoother.
Talk to Assemble. This stuff can be complicated, so getting advice and guidance from web development professionals can help you find the right solutions for your specific situation. We’re happy to help you make the right moves to protect your online presence and all the hard work that went into it. Just contact us today.
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