Matt Mullenweg, the creator of WordPress and CEO of its parent Automattic sparked a contentious conflict that he acknowledged could potentially culminate in the shutdown of WordPress.org. According to Mullenweg, the only viable resolution to this dispute would be for WP Engine to withdraw its lawsuit, thereby allowing him to resume his efforts to undermine WP Engine’s business operations.
A long-time WordPress user, who had generously shared nearly 600 free WooCommerce tutorials and 500 newsletters over the past 12 years, took to Twitter to implore Matt Mullenweg to reassess the turmoil he had created, highlighting the instability it was causing within the community.
He wrote,
"Dear
@photomatt,
We love WordPress. It’s not just software; it’s a livelihood for thousands of developers, freelancers, and small agencies. We don’t have millions like you do—every change, every piece of WPdrama costs us time, clients, and money.
We need stability. We need to focus on building, supporting, and growing businesses, not worrying about the next big upheaval or leadership conflict. Let’s move toward clarity, collaboration, and transparency.
Please consider pausing the current direction to listen. The community wants a strong future for WordPress—one where everyone, from volunteer contributors to top-level sponsors, can work together without fear of losing what we’ve built.
We don’t ask this lightly. Our livelihoods depend on it.
Thank you."
According to Matt Mullenweg, the only path to resolving the conflict is for WP Engine to withdraw their lawsuit, which was initially filed as a response to the contentious situation that Mullenweg himself had sparked.
Matt Mullenweg maintained that the resolution to the conflict hinges on WP Engine’s actions, specifically the withdrawal of their lawsuit. As he emphasized, “Everything I’m doing is to defend the long term health of WordPress. The lawsuits can only be dropped by WPE, as they initiated them.” This stance underscores Mullenweg’s conviction that his efforts are ultimately aimed at safeguarding the well-being of the WordPress community.
Matt Mullenweg elaborated on the gravity of the situation, highlighting the potential consequences of the lawsuits in a follow-up tweet:
“The lawsuits will go years and could potentially bankrupt me or force the closure of WordPress.org. It also takes a huge amount of time — there is no ‘lawyers work on that.'” said Mullenweg
he stated, emphasizing the significant personal and professional toll that the ongoing litigation could exact. In a subsequent tweet, Matt Mullenweg shared a concerning projection, indicating that the ongoing lawsuits could persist for as long as two more years.
“The cases will stretch into 26 and 27, so it’s hard to say what the environment will be or the court will order.” Mullenweg added
Matt Mullenweg’s assertion that WP Engine’s lawsuit could lead to the closure of WordPress.org and a prolonged, multi-year dispute, was met with skepticism and concern. The news even prompted a travel blogger to wonder aloud whether it was time to consider switching to a different content management system (CMS).
Hopes for a swift resolution to the conflict sparked by Matt Mullenweg were dashed, as he seemed to imply that the onus lies with WP Engine to drop their defensive lawsuit, thereby allowing him to resume his efforts to undermine their business. However, a significant development in the case saw a federal judge rule in favor of WP Engine, granting a preliminary injunction that effectively blocks Mullenweg’s attacks against the company.
In a notable rebuff, the judge explicitly rejected the arguments presented by Matt Mullenweg’s legal team, indicating a clear disagreement with their stance,
"Defendants’ arguments in opposition do not compel a different conclusion.
Defendants’ argument that the interference WPEngine alleges consists of acts they had a right to take fares no better.
…The conduct described at length above – including the termination of WPEngine’s access to WordPress, the interference with the ACF plugin, and the additional burdens imposed on WPEngine’s customers, such as the sign-in pledge – demonstrates that WPEngine has a significant interest in obtaining preliminary injunctive relief.
Defendants’ arguments in opposition do not establish that they will suffer any damage that overrides WPEngine’s interest in obtaining relief. …Requiring Defendants to restore access on those terms while this action proceeds imposes a minimal burden."
The Reddit discussion surrounding Matt Mullenweg’s remarks about the potential closure of WordPress.org was largely dominated by criticism and disappointment. Many users expressed their disillusionment.
With one commenter noting, “Probably the most shocking thing for me at this point is that no one seems to be able to talk some sense into Matt.”
Another user revealed plans to migrate their sites to alternative platforms, stating, “I’m personally moving my sites to either Drupal or ClassicPress just haven’t decided yet.”
Others lamented the potential consequences of Mullenweg’s actions, with one user observing, “I cannot imagine a worse fate than to be consumed by multiple multiyear, multimillion dollar lawsuits. To say nothing of suffocating his baby, and alienating his fans, admirers, and loyal customers. Matt was in a position to just relax and enjoy his wealth and fame, but chose another path. He also had the option of slowly putting the squeeze on perceived ‘freeloaders’ like WPEngine and watch them squirm without recourse.”
A Drupal-focused agency even chimed in, saying, “As a Drupal focused agency – this is just delicious. As someone who cares about the sustainability of open source efforts and caring about all of my peers who make a living off of WP. It’s heart breaking to watch Matt threaten BILLIONS of dollars of livelihoods like this.”
The creation of a dedicated subreddit to house discussions about the conflict sparked by Matt Mullenweg is a testament to the widespread concern within the WordPress community. The issue has become a dominant topic of conversation, and the sentiment is overwhelmingly negative towards Mullenweg’s actions.
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