{"id":642050,"date":"2024-10-21T03:30:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-21T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/the-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained\/"},"modified":"2024-10-21T03:30:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-21T00:30:00","slug":"the-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"#The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2599d89f5ab\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2599d89f5ab\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained\/#The_legal_battle\" >The legal battle<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained\/#WP_Engine_ban_and_trademark_battle\" >WP Engine ban and trademark battle<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained\/#WP_Engine_lawsuit_and\" >WP Engine lawsuit and<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/the-wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained\/#Automattic_exodus\" >Automattic exodus<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"speakable-summary\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This story has been updated throughout with more details as the story has developed. We will continue to do so as the case and dispute are ongoing.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world of WordPress, one of the most popular technologies for creating and hosting websites, is going through a very heated controversy. The core issue is the fight between WordPress founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine, which hosts websites built on WordPress.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> is open source and free, and it powers a huge chunk of the internet \u2014 around 40% of websites. Websites can host their own WordPress instance or use a solution provider like Automattic or WP Engine for a plug-and-play solution.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In mid-September, Mullenweg wrote <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/news\/2024\/09\/wp-engine\/\">a blog post<\/a> calling WP Engine a \u201ccancer to WordPress.\u201d He criticized the host for disabling the ability for users to see and track the revision history for every post. Mullenweg believes this feature is at the \u201ccore of the user promise of protecting your data\u201d and said that WP Engine turns it off by default to save money.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also called out WP Engine investor Silver Lake and said they don\u2019t contribute sufficiently to the open source project and that WP Engine\u2019s use of the \u201cWP\u201d brand has confused customers into believing it is part of WordPress.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-legal-battle\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_legal_battle\"><\/span>The legal battle<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In reply, WP Engine sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mullenweg and Automattic, asking them to withdraw their comments. It also said that its use of the WordPress trademark was covered under fair use.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company claimed that Mullenweg had said he would take a \u201cscorched earth nuclear <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roach\u201d against WP Engine unless it agreed to pay \u201ca significant percentage of its revenues for a license to the WordPress trademark.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Automattic sent\u00a0its own <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/09\/25\/legal-ping-pong-in-the-wordpress-world-continues-automattic-now-sends-wp-engine-a-cease-and-desist-letter-alleging-trademark-infringement\/\">cease-and-desist letter to WP Engine, saying that they had<\/span> breached WordPress and WooCommerce trademark usage rules.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The WordPress Foundation also\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/wordpressfoundation.org\/trademark-policy\/\">changed its Trademark Policy page<\/a> and called out WP Engine, alleging the hosting service has confused users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe abbreviation \u2018WP\u2019 is not covered by the WordPress trademarks, but please don\u2019t use it in a way that confuses people. For example, many people think WP Engine is \u2018WordPress Engine\u2019 and officially associated with WordPress, which it\u2019s not. They have never once even donated to the WordPress Foundation, despite making billions of revenue on top of WordPress,\u201d the updated page reads.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wp-engine-ban-and-trademark-battle\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WP_Engine_ban_and_trademark_battle\"><\/span>WP Engine ban and trademark battle<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mullenweg then banned WP Engine from accessing the resources of WordPress.org. While elements like plug-ins and themes are under open source license, providers like WP Engine have to run a service to fetch them, which is not covered under the open source license.<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aRiebe48oe\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This broke a lot of websites and prevented them from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ViewFromTheBox\/status\/1839046583272485352\">updating plug-ins<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MeetKarissa\/status\/1839089554587795834\">themes<\/a>. It also left some of them open to security attacks. The community was not pleased with this approach of leaving small websites helpless.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to the incident, WP Engine said in a post that Mullenweg had misused his control of WordPress to interfere with WP Engine customers\u2019 access to WordPress.org.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMatt Mullenweg\u2019s\u00a0unprecedented\u00a0and unwarranted\u00a0action interferes with the normal operation of the entire WordPress ecosystem, impacting not just WP Engine and our customers, but all WordPress plugin developers and open source users who depend on WP Engine tools like ACF,\u201d WP Engine said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\nhttps:\/\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">twitter<\/a>.com\/wpengine\/status\/1839246341660119287\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">On September 27, WordPress.org\u00a0lifted the ban temporarily<\/span>, allowing WP Engine to access resources until October 1.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mullenweg <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ma.tt\/2024\/09\/wordpress-engine\/\">wrote a blog<\/a> post clarifying that the fight is only against WP Engine over trademarks. He said Automattic has been trying to broker a trademark licensing deal for a long time, but WP Engine\u2019s only response has been to \u201cstring us along.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On September 30, a day before the WordPress.org deadline for the ban on WP Engine, the hosting company updated its site\u2019s footer to clarify it is not directly affiliated with the WordPress Foundation or owns the WordPress trade.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWP Engine is a proud member and supporter of the community of WordPress\u00ae users. The WordPress\u00ae trademark is the intellectual property of the WordPress Foundation, and the Woo\u00ae and WooCommerce\u00ae trademarks are the intellectual property of WooCommerce, Inc. Uses of the WordPress\u00ae, Woo\u00ae, and WooCommerce\u00ae names in this website are for identification purposes only and do not imply an endorsement by WordPress Foundation or WooCommerce, Inc. WP Engine is not endorsed or owned by, or affiliated with, the WordPress Foundation or WooCommerce, Inc.,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/gb\/\">the updated description on the site read<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company also changed its plan names from \u201cEssential WordPress,\u201d \u201cCore WordPress,\u201d and \u201cEnterprise WordPress\u201d to \u201cEssential,\u201d \u201cCore,\u201d and \u201cEnterprise.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WP Engine said in a statement that it changed these terms to moot Automattic\u2019s claims.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe, like the rest of the WordPress community, use the WordPress mark to describe our business.\u00a0Automattic\u2019s suggestion that WPE needs a license to do that is simply wrong, and reflects a misunderstanding of trademark law. To moot its claimed concerns, we have eliminated the few examples Automattic gave in its\u00a0September 23rd\u00a0letter to us,\u201d a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 1, the company posted on X that it has successfully deployed its own solution for updating plug-ins and themes. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/wpengine\/status\/1840910240801316924\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 15, TechCrunch reported that Automattic planned to define trademarks since early this year involving \u201cnice and note nice\u201d lawyers, according to an internal blog post written by the company\u2019s then chief legal officer. The post also mentioned a strategy to file more trademarks, which <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Wordpress\/comments\/1fol35p\/wordpress_foundation_filed_in_july_to_trademark\/\">the foundation eventually did in July<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The WordPress community and other projects feel this could also happen to them and want clarification from Automattic, which has an exclusive license to the WordPress trademark. The community is also asking about clear guidance around how they can and can\u2019t use \u201cWordPress.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The WordPress Foundation, which owns the trademark, has <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/Wordpress\/comments\/1fol35p\/wordpress_foundation_filed_in_july_to_trademark\/\">also filed to trademark<\/a> \u201cManaged WordPress\u201d and \u201cHosted WordPress.\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/keithdevon\/status\/1838837690336448883\">Developers<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mblair\/status\/1839236069994479841\">providers<\/a> are worried that if these trademarks are granted, they could be used against them.<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D0aKp140na\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Developers have <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/YoungbloodJoe\/status\/1839326833286013368\">expressed concerns<\/a> over relying on commercial open source products related to WordPress, especially when their access can go away quickly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open source content management system Ghost\u2019s founder John O\u2019Nolan also weighed in on the issue and criticized control of WordPress being with one person.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe web needs more independent organizations, and it needs more diversity. 40% of the web and 80% of the CMS market should not be controlled by any one individual,\u201d he said in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnONolan\/status\/1839672759384784910\">an X post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 9, web app development framework Ruby on Rails creator David Heinemeier Hansson opined that Automattic is violating principals of open source software by asking WP Engine to pay 8% of its revenues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAutomattic is completely out of line, and the potential damage to the open source world extends far beyond the WordPress. Don\u2019t let\u00a0the drama\u00a0or its characters distract you from that threat,\u201d he said in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/world.hey.com\/dhh\/automattic-is-doing-open-source-dirty-b95cf128\">a blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the same day, Mullenweg added a new checkbox to the WordPress.org contributor login, asking people to verify that they are not associated with WP Engine in any way. This move was criticized by the contributor community. Some contributors said that they were <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JavierCasares\/status\/1843963052183433331\">banned from<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/jonoalderson\/status\/1843985559745921046\">the community Slack<\/a> for opposing the move.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1018\" height=\"1376\" src=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?w=503\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2896593\" srcset=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg 1018w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=111,150 111w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=222,300 222w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=768,1038 768w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=503,680 503w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=888,1200 888w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=947,1280 947w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=318,430 318w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=533,720 533w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=666,900 666w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=592,800 592w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=494,668 494w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=277,375 277w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=456,617 456w, https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-10-at-12.29.09PM.jpg?resize=393,531 393w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1018px) 100vw, 1018px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"wp-block-image__credits\"><strong>Image Credits:<\/strong>WordPress.org<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, WP Engine said that its customers, agencies, users, and the community as a whole are not the company\u2019s associates. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/wpengine\/status\/1844078545603092691\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 12, WordPress.org took control of ACF (Advanced Custom Fields) plug-in \u2014 which makes it easier for WordPress developers to add customized fields on the edit screen \u2014 which was maintained by WP Engine. As WP Engine lost control of the open source plug-in repository, the Silver Lake-backed company wasn\u2019t able to update the plug-in. WordPress.org and Mullenweg said that plug-in guidelines allow the organization to take this step.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wp-engine-lawsuit-and\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WP_Engine_lawsuit_and\"><\/span>WP Engine lawsuit and <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 3, WP Engine sued Automattic and Mullenweg over abuse of power in a court in California. The hosting company also alleged that Automattic and Mullenweg didn\u2019t keep their promises to run WordPress open source projects without any constraints and giving developers the freedom to build, run, modify, and redistribute the software.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMatt Mullenweg\u2019s conduct over the last ten days has exposed significant conflicts of interest and governance issues that, if left unchecked, threaten to destroy that trust. WP Engine has no choice but to pursue these claims to protect its people, agency partners, customers, and the broader WordPress community,\u201d the company said in a statement to TechCrunch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The lawsuit also notes alleged texts from Mullenweg about potentially hiring WP Engine CEO Heather Brunner. In a comment on Hacker <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a>, Mullenweg <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.ycombinator.com\/item?id=41726656\">said<\/a> that Brunner wanted to be an executive director of WordPress.org. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, Automattic called this case meritless. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI stayed up last night reading WP Engine\u2019s Complaint, trying to find any merit anywhere to it. The whole thing is meritless, and we look forward to the federal court\u2019s consideration of their lawsuit,\u201d the company\u2019s legal representative, Neal Katyal, said in a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/automattic.com\/2024\/10\/03\/meritless\/\">blog post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 18, WP Engine filed an injunction in a California court, asking the judge to restore its access to WordPress.org. A day later, the company filed <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.courtlistener.com\/docket\/69221176\/22\/wpengine-inc-v-automattic-inc\/\">an administrative motion<\/a> requesting the court to shorten the time to hear its earlier preliminary injunction. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-automattic-exodus\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Automattic_exodus\"><\/span>Automattic exodus<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 3, 159 Automattic employees who didn\u2019t agree with Mullenweg\u2019s direction of the company and WordPress overall took a severance package and left the company. Almost 80% of people who left worked in Automattic\u2019s Ecosystem \/ WordPress division.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 8, WordPress said that Mary Hubbard, who was TikTok U.S.\u2019s head of governance and experience, will be starting as executive director. This post was previously held by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/josepha.blog\/2024\/10\/04\/thank-you-wordpress\/\">Josepha Haden Chomphosy<\/a>, who was one of the 159 people leaving Automattic. A day prior to this, one of the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wpgraphql.com\/2024\/10\/07\/wpgraphql-becomes-a-canonical-plugin-my-move-to-automattic\">engineers from WP Engine announced that he was joining Automattic<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 12, Mullenweg wrote in a post that every working <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/automattic.com\/2024\/10\/14\/automattic-employee-stock-grant\/\">Automattic employee would get 200 A12 shares as a token of gratitude<\/a>. These shares are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/automattic.com\/benefits\/buying-and-selling-automattic-stock\/\">a special class<\/a> for Automattic employees that they can sell after one year and don\u2019t have an expiry date.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On October 17, Mullenweg posted another alignment offer on Automattic Slack \u2014 with just a four-hour response window \u2014 with a nine-month severance. However, if any person took the offer, they would also lose access to the WordPress.org community, Mullenweg said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>You can contact this reporter at im@ivanmehta.com or on Signal: @ivan.42<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2024\/10\/20\/wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This story has been updated throughout with more details as the story has developed. We will continue to do so as the case and dispute are ongoing. The world of WordPress, one of the most popular technologies for creating and hosting websites, is going through a very heated controversy. 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