Before I say anything, I want to express my deep appreiciation for Matt Mullenweg for creating WordPress and for bringing it to the position it holds today. His dedication over the past 20 years has significantly contributed to the growth and success of WordPress, which has become one of the most widely used content management systems globally. As of now, WordPress powers over 40% of all websites on the internet, an undeniable proof of its impact and reach. I am incredibly grateful for his work. Without WordPress, I would not have earned the title of “Techie” among my peers, even as a non-coder. I created my first website in 2007 using WordPress, and I’ve continued to rely on it ever since.
However, it really hurts to see what’s happening in the WordPress world right now, and it hurts even more to witness Matt behaving in a way I had never imagined. It seems like Matt is not ‘The Matt’ anymore, the visionary leader who once inspired countless developers and enthusiasts to embrace open-source principles.
Well, this could just be a phase in his life, and hopefully, it will pass soon…
What’s the fuss!
It all started in mid-September during WordCamp US, a key event in the WordPress community where developers, contributors, and enthusiasts gather to share knowledge and ideas around WordPress. During this event, Matt publicly called out WP Engine for not contributing enough to the WordPress community while profiting significantly from the free resources available on WordPress.org. He labeled WP Engine a “cancer to WordPress” and emphasized that “WP Engine is not WordPress” in an official blog post. This statement sent shockwaves through the community, sparking heated debates about the responsibilities of businesses that benefit from open-source projects.
I have been aware of WP Engine for quite some time—probably since 2013. I have always viewed them as a premium (read: costly) WordPress hosting provider, focusing primarily on high-net-worth individuals and businesses, much like how I see WordPress VIP or the premium hosting services offered by WordPress.com. However, it has never confused me into thinking it is an official part of WordPress.
Given our limited budget, investing in such expensive hosting options was not feasible for us. I considered them the iPhones of the WordPress hosting world, while I was more inclined towards affordable yet reliable alternatives, like Android devices. Our preferred platforms used to be HostGator and Bluehost (remember those multi-year unlimited shared hosting plans being offered for just a few dollars?). As I grew, I learnt to use rtCamp’s EasyEngine and other similar tools for the WP hosting management.
Still, I understand Matt’s perpective. Many users might mistakenly think that WP Engine is officially associated with WordPress, especially since they have often been referred to as ‘WordPress Engine’ by others and themseleves . Hence this potentially be viwed as trademark violation . However, I also think that this was merely an attempt to formalize the verbal agreement, where as per Matt, they asked WP Engine to contribute a percentage of their revenue back to WordPress, either through a trademark agreement or by allocating employee hours to work on core WordPress. It seems that WP Engine didn’t take this ask seriously. But why?
I believe it is a moral obligation for strong companies that benefit from the WordPress ecosystem to give back, whether through financial contributions or by providing code and resources to support its growth and sustainability.
I haven’t delved deeply into the matter, but from a high-level perspective, it’s hard to understand why WP Engine isn’t one of the top donors to the WordPress Foundation. Other companies in the ecosystem, such as Bluehost, Hostinger, and Automattic (the parent company of WordPress.com), regularly contribute both financially and through development efforts that enhance the platform.
But can we really demand 8% of their total revenue for this? Can we be so specific with our demands while running a nonprofit open-source software initiative whose services are freely available for all?
Personally, I think it’s wrong.
As an open-source community, we can certainly encourage and mobilize for greater contributions, ideally without targeting specific entities. It might even be considered daring (though perhaps wrong, but for the right reasons) in some cases to publicly name and shame those who benefit greatly but contribute little. However, making such contributions mandatory is not appropriate—not at all.
I agree with Matt that WP Engine contributes very little directly to the official WordPress organization, but it’s essential to acknowledge their significant impact on the ecosystem in other ways. They do invest in WordPress events, sponsorships, and educational resources. Additionally, they also develop and maintain various valuable WordPress tools such as Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Genesis Blocks, Faust.js etc.
I resonate with Taylor Otwell, the creator of Laravel, who made a vague comparison between WP Engine and Laracasts in a YouTube podcast. Just as Laracasts supports the Laravel community without any formal revenue-sharing arrangements, WP Engine’s contributions to the WordPress community could be considered similarly.
While these demands were already causing tension, Matt started making even more controversial decisions that was about to impact millions of WordPress users in general who had no direct connection to WP Engine. First, he banned access to WP.org for all WP Engine associates. Then he forked (or many say hijacked) the highly popular WordPress plugin—Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)—which has always been promptly maintained and updated by the WP Engine team under the WordPress repository. This decision led many developers to question the future of their own listed tools as whether they could be the next ACF.
This had significant implications for other developers, prompting some to begin removing plugins from the WP repository because this ongoing event.
Later on, access to the entire WP.org site was restricted for any users associated with WP Engine by adding a login-lawsuit checkbox to WP.org.
This action has had a significant impact on regular users because millions have indirectly interacted with WP Engine through their free or pro plugins and other services. In this 5-minute video, David McCan from WebTNG explains the ripple effect of this decision.
Requiring this type of checkbox could have made sense if it were intended solely to restrict users with direct associations with WP Engine, such as employees or business partners. However, it is unjust for free users, customers, or regular community members to face consequences due to this situation.
In this context, I appreciate WP Engine for their professionalism. They made it clear that regular customers, agencies, users, and the broader community are not affiliates of WP Engine.
However, neither Matt nor WordPress clarified this confusion. It almost seems like they wanted the community to suffer for any association with WP Engine, which is quite troubling.
It would have made more logical sense if WP Engine had chosen to stop maintaining their multiple plugins in the WordPress repository, using the court case as a reason. While this could have painted WP Engine as the villain, it would have at least been a coherent response. Instead, how could WordPress decide to harm its own millions of users just to take a jab at WP Engine? This decision was indeed shocking for the WordPress community.
During the chaos, we noticed some seemingly bitter social media posts from official WordPress accounts. They sometimes appeared to mock users and blocked many developers and contributors, likely for speaking out about their recent decisions. Some of the responses were surprising, making it seem as though WordPress was acting like a troll, trying to be funny with sarcastic replies.
At times, I wondered if someone had “Elon-ified” Matt. (Just to clarify, I love and admire Elon Musk for his work, humor, and impact on humanity, but I don’t agree with his style of managing organizations. It often feels like he treats them as personal projects, making decisions without consulting others, reacting emotionally, and responding to critics aggressively.)
In the midst of all this turmoil, new information surfaced – WordPress.org is personally owned by Matt Mullenweg. In fact, during a recent court hearing, Automattic’s lawyers stated that WordPress.org is not WordPress; it is solely Matt’s project. This revelation is not only confusing but quite shocking for the entire WordPress community.
Is this why Matt seems so controlling over everything related to WordPress? Are all volunteers working on Matt’s personal project? Why hasn’t domain ownership been transferred to the WordPress Foundation, which holds the trademark and oversees all open-source work? This raises many questions and doubts among users who were unaware of all this until now.
But what if there is some legal trouble in doing so? In a response to Andy Fragen’s blog post on X, Matt mentions that he faced challenges with the IRS not recognizing WordPress code or the .org domain as valid activities for the Foundation.
Interestingly, while researching this topic, I found that the situation with domain ownership in Drupal is quite comparable. Dries Buytaert, the founder of the Drupal project, retains full rights to the domain names drupal.org and drupalcon.org, among others. To my surprise, unlike WordPress, the trademark “Drupal” also belongs to founder Dries Buytaert. Fortunately, there have been no controversies surrounding this within the Drupal community, as Dries has a proven track record of responsible management.
The situation might not have escalated as much if Matt had not taken everything so personally and allowed the WordPress team or board to manage it more patiently and professionally. This is reflected in poll results like this:
It’s disheartening to witness all this… and it’s still an ongoing saga.
However, I am confident that this challenging time will pass and that WordPress will rise again, as a whole.
WordPress was, is, and will always be an open-source project. There is no way it can become a closed project even if Matt wants so. Of course, he still holds all possible rights related to WordPress through his position and domain ownership—but if there ever is a conflict between ‘WordPress’ and Matt, the project will continue to exist for everyone—free of charge and in all its glory—regardless of these domains that are solely owned by him.
Why? Because…
Matt is not WordPress!
While he gave birth to it, now it stands as an independent entity—not controlled by any specific person or certain group of members. In fact, we are WordPress. The ‘we’ includes everyone—myself, you, Matt, Automattic, WP Engine — or anyone who loves WordPress, cares for it, and contributes in some way, directly or indirectly. The power of open source comes from the community—a mix of people working together toward a shared goal—and that will continue no matter what individuals do.
However, even though WordPress is free to use, it requires substantial funding to operate and grow effectively… even though it is a shared resource, it still needs a dedicated team to make sound decisions. Ongoing contributions are essential for maintaining financial stability, and it is crucial that no single individual is solely responsible for major decisions.
Matt is already making significant contributions through his efforts. His company, Automattic, has more than 100 employees dedicated to the WordPress project full-time, which helps maintain its strength and drive innovation. I highly recommend that other major stakeholders adopt a similar approach. But iss the decision-making process in WordPress truly as collaborative as it needs to be? I have my doubts. There is a clear need for a unified team capable of making effective decisions without being swayed by personal biases or egos.
Overall, I believe that WP Engine should definitely increase its contributions while placing trust in the WordPress Foundation.
This website is dedicated to all WordPress lovers, especially Matt Mullenweg. While I believe his intentions are good, the current actions seem off course. I want him to take a moment away from his usual responsibilities and review this #WordPressDrama timeline to understand how it started, how it’s progressing, and its impact on developers, contributors, and community members. Is this truly his vision for WordPress, or can improvements be made? It’s time for him to reflect on the situation with a fresh perspective.
Love for WordPress!
Note: While I have tried my best to remain unbiased and factual in my take on the ongoing WordPress drama above, I may have made some mistakes unintentionally. The same applies to other content on this website. If you have any feedback for me or new information for any page on this website, please update via this contact form.
