Automattic CEO and WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg unleashed a scathing assault on a rival agency this week, calling WP Engine a “most cancers to WordPress.”
Mullenweg criticized the corporate — which has been commercializing the open supply WordPress mission since 2010 — for profiteering with out giving a lot again, whereas additionally disabling key options that make WordPress such a strong platform within the first place.
For context, WordPress powers greater than 40% of the net, and whereas any particular person or firm is free to take the open supply mission and run a web site themselves, quite a lot of companies have sprung as much as promote internet hosting companies and technical experience off the again of it. These embody Automattic, which Mullenweg arrange in 2005 to monetize the mission he’d created two years earlier; and WP Engine, a managed WordPress internet hosting supplier that has raised practically $300 million in funding over its 14-year historical past, the majority of which got here through a $250 million funding from non-public fairness agency Silver Lake in 2018.
It’s value noting that Automattic has a historical past in backing WordPress internet hosting corporations, having invested in WP Engine approach again in 2011, with Mullenweg additionally talking at WP Engine’s convention simply final 12 months. Furthermore, Automattic additionally purchased a majority stake in WordPress internet hosting firm Pressable again in 2016, in addition to self-managed internet hosting firm Gridpane in 2022.
However talking this week at WordCamp US 2024, a WordPress-focused convention held in Portland, Oregon, Mullenweg pulled no punches in his criticism of WP Engine. Taking to the stage, Mullenweg learn out a put up he had simply revealed to his private weblog, the place he factors to the distinct “5 for the long run” funding pledges made by Automattic and WP Engine, with the former contributing 3,900 hours per week, and the latter contributing simply 40 hours.
Whereas he acknowledged that these figures are only a “proxy,” and may not be completely correct, Mullenweg mentioned that this disparity in contributions is notable, as each Automattic and WP Engine “are roughly the identical measurement, with income within the ballpark of half-a-billion [dollars].”
Mullenweg has levelled criticism at a minimum of one different big-name internet host up to now, accusing GoDaddy of profiteering from the open supply mission with out giving something significant again — extra particularly, he referred to as GoDaddy a “parasitic firm” and an “existential menace to WordPress’ future”.
In his newest offensive, Mullenweg didn’t cease at WP Engine, he prolonged his criticism to the corporate’s predominant investor.
“The corporate [WP Engine] is managed by Silver Lake, a personal fairness agency with $102 billion in belongings underneath administration,” Mullenweg mentioned. “Silver Lake doesn’t give a dang about your open supply beliefs, it simply desires return on capital. So it’s at this level that I ask everybody within the WordPress group to go vote together with your pockets. Who’re you giving your cash to — somebody who’s going to nourish the ecosystem, or somebody who’s going to frack each little bit of worth out of it till it withers?”
In response to a query submitted by an viewers member later, asking for readability on whether or not Mullenweg was asking WordPress customers to boycott WP Engine, he mentioned that he hoped each WP Engine buyer would watch his presentation, and in terms of the time after they’re renewing their contracts, they need to take into consideration their subsequent steps.
“There’s some actually hungry different hosts — Hostinger, Bluehost Cloud, Pressable and so forth, that may like to get that enterprise,” Mullenweg mentioned. “You would possibly get sooner efficiency even switching to another person, and migrating has by no means been simpler. That’s a part of the thought of knowledge liberation. It’s, like, in the future of labor to modify your web site to one thing else, and I might extremely encourage you to consider that when your contract renewal comes up, should you’re at present a buyer with WP Engine.”
‘A most cancers to WordPress’
In response to the brouhaha that adopted the discuss, Mullenweg revealed a comply with up weblog put up, the place he calls WP Engine a “most cancers” to WordPress. “It’s essential to keep in mind that unchecked, most cancers will unfold,” he wrote. “WP Engine is setting a poor normal that others could have a look at and suppose is okay to copy.”
Mullenweg mentioned that WP Engine is profiting off the confusion that exists between the WordPress mission and the business companies firm WP Engine.
“It needs to be mentioned and repeated: WP Engine just isn’t WordPress,” Mullenweg wrote. “My very own mom was confused and thought WP Engine was an official factor. Their branding, advertising and marketing, promoting, and whole promise to prospects is that they’re providing you with WordPress, however they’re not. And so they’re profiting off of the confusion.”
Mullenweg additionally mentioned that WP Engine is actively promoting an inferior product, as a result of the core WordPress mission shops each change that’s made to permit customers to revert their content material to a earlier model — one thing that WP Engine disables, as per its help web page.
Whereas prospects can request that revisions be enabled, help solely extends to a few revisions, that are routinely deleted after 60 days. WP Engine recommends that prospects use a “third-party modifying system” in the event that they want intensive revision administration. The rationale for this, in keeping with Mullenweg, is straightforward — saving cash.
“They disable revisions as a result of it prices them more cash to retailer the historical past of the modifications within the database, they usually don’t wish to spend that to guard your content material,” Mullenweg contends. “It strikes to the very coronary heart of what WordPress does, they usually shatter it, the integrity of your content material. Should you make a mistake, you don’t have any solution to get your content material again, breaking the core promise of what WordPress does, which is handle and defend your content material.”
TechCrunch has reached out to WP Engine for remark, and can replace right here once we hear again.
This text was up to date with further context on Automattic’s earlier funding in rival WordPress internet hosting corporations, together with WP Engine.
