Although it plays an integral role in holding up web content from the likes of NASA and the White House, WordPress typically keeps a low profile. But the open-source content management system, which powers more than 40 percent of all websites on the internet, has been thrust into the spotlight in recent weeks as its founder Matt Mullenweg wages war against one of the largest WordPress hosting services. Despite an ensuing legal battle and rift in the open-source development community, Mullenweg claims the feud has actually been good for business.
“I make plans in decades. This is not a huge deal to me,” Mullenweg, 40, told Observer. The saga is part and parcel of maintaining the longevity of WordPress, according to Mullenweg, who claims it has helped streamline his company and reinvigorate his work. Mullenweg founded WordPress in 2003 at 19. Today, he is the CEO of Automattic, which owns WordPress.com and contributes time and code to the open-source WordPress project.
Some websites built on WordPress software, which is free and available for anyone to access, use WordPress hosting providers like WP Engine to oversee technical support. In return, hosting providers typically give back by contributing to the maintenance of WordPress—an expectation Mullenweg says WP Engine has failed to meet in recent years. While he previously had a good relationship with WP Engine, the WordPress founder claims “something definitely shifted” after the company was acquired by the private equity firm Silver Lake in 2018.
Mullenweg, who first began publicly criticizing WP Engine in September, has also accused the hosting service of misusing the WordPress trademark to confuse users into believing WP Engine is a WordPress entity.
WP Engine, for its part, has denied Mullenweg’s assertions. Besides stating it has committed hundreds of thousands of hours to developing WordPress software and contributing to its ecosystem, the company has described his trademark accusations as “meritless” and used for antitrust purposes. The fight escalated quickly: last month, Mullenweg cut off WP Engine from WordPress resources, prompting WP Engine to file a lawsuit against Mullenweg and Automattic for abuse of power.
Despite the fact that he is now facing a lengthy legal battle against a company backed by a firm with more than $100 billion in assets, Mullenweg says he has no intention of backing down. He recently launched a new site tracking the websites that have left WP Engine since the drama unfolded, which WP Engine says it has requested be taken down and described as “the wrongful and reckless publication of customer’s information without their consent” in a statement to Observer.
Will other hosting services be next?
The meltdown sent shockwaves throughout the collaborative WordPress community and sparked fears amongst developers about the future of open-source ideals and their relationship with WordPress. But according to Mullenweg, WP Engine is a rare case.
“If you look at the WordPress ecosystem, there are dozens and dozens of companies—GoDaddy, Bluehost, Nexcess, DreamHost, SiteGround, Elementor—they all use the WordPress trademark, and we have good relationships with them,” said Mullenweg. In the years since establishing WordPress, “there has never been anything like this. So, you can see WP Engine as being fairly unique in their egregious abuse of our trademarks,” he added.
The battle has also caused strife within Automattic, where Mullenweg offered buyout packages for employees that disagreed with his actions. The company, which currently has a headcount of 1,727, in October lost 177 employees and hired 17 new people. While the exodus has been tough, it also provided “clarity,” said Mullenweg. “I feel, honestly, more energized and excited to work together with a team that’s building Automattic day to day than I’ve ever been in my whole career.”
According to the CEO, scaling down came at the right time for Automattic. “Like many tech companies we’re finding that, with the productivity enhancements of A.I. and all the technology, a lot of us do a lot with fewer people,” he said. “This has actually been fantastic.”
Mullenweg, who has previously suggested that WP Engine either license the WordPress trademark or dedicate revenue towards developing the WordPress ecosystem, says he’s eager to sit down and discuss a solution with WP Engine. He is also, however, prepared for their legal issues to potentially drag on for several more years.
At the end of the day, Mullenweg claims the whole saga is a blip within WordPress’s wider mission to defend the democratization of publishing, commerce and messaging. “I’ve been doing this for 21 years and I hope to do it the rest of my life,” he said. “This is a small chapter of a very long journey.”
