Draft:WordPress vs WP Engine
WordPress vs WP Engine is an ongoing dispute between Matt Mullenweg—the founder of WordPress.com, owner of WordPress.org website, and leader of WordPress Foundation, and WP Engine, an American web hosting company which focuses on managed WordPress hosting.
Background
[edit]WordPress
[edit]WordPress is an open source web content management system, developed initially by Matt Mullenweg. Mullenweg established the WordPress.org website to distribute the sorftware and coordinate volunteer efforts. He also created WordPress.com, a for-profit service, to fund the operations of open source community. WordPress.com would be operated under the management of Automattic, a parent company of many other WordPress related software and services, either self-built or acquired.
WP Engine
[edit]WP Engine is a WordPress experience management company. It offers managed WordPress solutions as its primary services, and would go on to acquire other WordPress related software and services.
Dispute
[edit]During the week preceding September 22, 2024, Matt Mullenweg—founder of WordPress.com—began attacking rival WP Engine, starting with a speech at WordCamp US 2024 that outlined WP Engine's meager contributions to WordPress compared to Automattic, criticized WP Engine's significant ties to private equity, and called for a boycott, sparking internet controversy.[1] In response, WP Engine issued a cease and desist against what it characterized as defamation and extortion, attributing his attacks to WP Engine's refusal to pay Automattic "a significant percentage of its gross revenues – tens of millions of dollars in fact – on an ongoing basis" for what it claimed were necessary trademark licensing fees (later clarified as 8% of all revenue, payable in gross or in salaries for its own employees working under WordPress.org's direction, combined with a clause that would've prohibited forking[2]) for the "WordPress" name.[3] Automattic responded by sending its own cease and desist the next day, citing the trademark issue.[4] On October 2, 2024, WP Engine sued Automattic and Mullenweg for extortion and abuse of power, which the defendants denied.[2]
As a result, WordPress.org blocked WP Engine and affiliates from accessing its servers—which include security updates, the plugin and theme repository, and more—on September 25, 2024, a day after its trademark policy was updated[5] to ask against usage of WP "in a way that confuses people", listing WP Engine as an example.[6] Following backlash, access to WordPress.org was temporarily restored until October 1 to allow WP Engine to build its own mirror sites two days later,[7][8] which the company did.[6] On the 12th, WordPress.org replaced the listing of WP Engine's Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin on the WordPress.org plugin directory with a fork called "Secure Custom Fields" citing a guideline that empowers the foundation to "make changes to a plugin, without developer consent, in the interest of public safety".[9]
Reactions
[edit]On October 7, 2024, Mullenweg announced that 159 employees—8.4% of Automattic—had quit in a realignment effort in exchange for a severance package of $30,000 or six months of salary, whichever is higher, with the condition that the resigned would not be able to return.[10] Some of those who left include high-profile staff such as Daniel Bachhuber, head of Automattic's commercial WordPress hosting arm, and Naoko Takano, the former head of programs and contributor experience.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Sawers, Paul (2024-09-22), "Matt Mullenweg calls WP Engine a 'cancer to WordPress' and urges community to switch providers", TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2024-10-01, retrieved 2024-09-24
- ^ a b Mehta, Ivan (2024-10-03), "WP Engine sues WordPress co-creator Mullenweg and Automattic, alleging abuse of power", TechCrunch, retrieved 2024-10-04
- ^ Mehta, Ivan (2024-09-24), "WP Engine sends cease-and-desist letter to Automattic over Mullenweg's comments", TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2024-09-24, retrieved 2024-09-24
- ^ Mehta, Ivan (2024-09-25), "Automattic sends WP Engine its own cease-and-desist over WordPress trademark infringement", TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2024-09-27, retrieved 2024-09-27
- ^ Mehta, Ivan (2024-09-26), "WordPress.org bans WP Engine, blocks it from accessing its resources", TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2024-09-26, retrieved 2024-09-26
- ^ a b Mehta, Ivan (2024-09-26), "The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained", TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2024-10-01, retrieved 2024-09-26
- ^ Mehta, Ivan (2024-09-28), "WordPress.org temporarily lifts its ban on WP Engine", TechCrunch, archived from the original on 2024-09-28, retrieved 2024-09-28
- ^ Mullenweg, Matt (2024-09-27), "WP Engine Reprieve", WordPress.org, archived from the original on 2024-09-27, retrieved 2024-09-28
- ^ Davis, Wes (2024-10-12). "WordPress.org's latest move involves taking control of a WP Engine plugin". The Verge. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
- ^ Council, Stephen (October 7, 2024). "After weeks of drama, SF tech CEO gives workers $30,000 to quit".
- ^ "159 Workers Accept Tech CEO's Offer Of $30K Payment, Or Higher, If They Quit Their Jobs With One Condition". inkl. 2024-10-09. Retrieved 2024-10-15.