WordPress, a company that develops software for creating websites, and WP Engine, a developer of plugins and themes for these sites, have entered into a legal dispute. It all started when Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic, which owns WP, claimed that WP Engine illegally uses the WordPress brand. He also believes that WPE deliberately restricts the ability of users to view the history of page changes in order to generate more revenue.
"During calls on September 17th and 19th, for instance, Automattic CFO Mark Davies told a WP Engine board member that Automattic would “go to war” if WP Engine did not agree to pay itscompetitor Automattic a significant percentage of its gross revenues – tens of millions of dollars in fact – on an ongoing basis," the letter says.
In the same letter, WP Engine put forward their demands to Mullenweg and Automattic. They demanded that they stop making misleading statements and not interfere with WP Engine, as well as remove defamatory statements from all platforms.
Matt Mullenweg and Automattic’s self-proclaimed scorched earth campaign against WP Engine has harmed not just our company, but the entire WordPress ecosystem. The symbiotic relationship between WordPress, its community and the businesses that invest millions to support WordPress…
— WP Engine (@wpengine) October 3, 2024
This has also led to some developers who have been supporting WordPress for years to decide to stop their activities to further develop the platform.
I braved the checkbox to update my .org profile. 13+ years of un-sponsored contributions. I'm done.
— Carrie Dils 🇺🇦 (@cdils) October 28, 2024
"I love the WordPress community. I am deeply saddened by the actions of Matt Mullenweg and, as of October 2024, will no longer contribute my time to The Project as a volunteer." pic.twitter.com/Bhm5mIwumb