About that brawl between the WordPress co-founder and WP Engine

The conflict between WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine has escalated into a significant dispute within the open-source community. Mullenweg criticized WP Engine for allegedly exploiting the WordPress ecosystem and contributing minimally to its development, claiming it poses a threat to the open-source community. He described WP Engine as "a cancer to WordPress" and accused it of not adhering to WordPress's trademark policies. In response, WP Engine issued a cease-and-desist letter and accused Mullenweg of extortion, claiming he demanded a percentage of their revenues for a license to use the WordPress trademark. The situation worsened when Mullenweg temporarily banned WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources, affecting updates for millions of websites, a decision he later reversed due to community backlash. WP Engine subsequently filed a lawsuit against Mullenweg and Automattic, alleging slander and abuse of power. The fallout has led to internal strife within Automattic, with some employees opting to leave over Mullenweg's handling of the situation. Mullenweg's controversial decision to fork a WP Engine plugin has also drawn criticism, highlighting the complexities of the conflict, which appears to be driven more by financial interests than ideological differences.

- The dispute centers on accusations of exploitation and minimal contribution to the WordPress ecosystem by WP Engine.

- Mullenweg's comments led to legal actions from WP Engine, including a lawsuit for extortion and slander.

- Internal dissent within Automattic has emerged, with employees leaving over Mullenweg's management of the conflict.

- The situation reflects broader tensions in the open-source community regarding commercial interests and contributions.

- Mullenweg's decision to fork a WP Engine plugin has sparked further controversy and debate within the community.