The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama

Photo by Joyseulay On Envato Elements

The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama is a heated controversy in the WordPress ecosystem. Here’s a summary of the key points:

Conflict origin:

• Matt Mullenweg, WordPress founder and Automattic CEO, criticized WP Engine for disabling revision history tracking.
• Mullenweg accused WP Engine of confusing customers with its “WP” branding and not contributing enough to the open-source project.
  

  Legal battle:

• WP Engine sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mullenweg and Automattic.
• Automattic responded with its own cease-and-desist letter to WP Engine.
• The WordPress Foundation updated its Trademark Policy, calling out WP Engine. 
  

  WP Engine ban and trademark issues:

• Mullenweg temporarily banned WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources.
• This action broke many websites and prevented plugin/theme updates.
• WP Engine updated its site footer and plan names to clarify its relationship with WordPress.

Community impact:

• The WordPress community expressed concerns about reliance on commercial open-source products.
• Developers worried about potential trademark issues with “Managed WordPress” and “Hosted WordPress.”
• Ruby on Rails creator criticized Automattic’s approach to open-source principles.
  

  Legal actions:

• WP Engine sued Automattic and Mullenweg over abuse of power.
• Automattic called the lawsuit meritless.
• WP Engine filed for an injunction to restore its access to WordPress.org.

Automattic exodus:

• 159 Automattic employees left the company, disagreeing with Mullenweg’s direction.
• New executive director Mary Hubbard was appointed to WordPress.
• The situation remains ongoing, with both parties engaged in legal battles and the WordPress community expressing concerns about the future of the ecosystem.

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