this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2024
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Is there a good ELI5 what this entire dispute is about anywhere? I have been reading many news stories about it, but they all seemed to assume I already knew about it.
A very short summary that may not be entirely accurate but is close enough:
WP Engine made a good amount of money off of WordPress without contributing back, and Automattic broke their own license to fight them, all the while the CEO became increasingly unhinged.
Oh no! “not contributing back” for free software managed by a profit driven company.
Automattic’s actions have proven exactly why WPEngine shouldn’t pay them squat.
I present: the reason we can't have nice things.
Does WP Engine have much of a product without Automattic’s blessing? How much damage has already been done implanting into a WP Engine’s customer’s mind that they should start thinking about alternatives?
Is it anything other than a sinking ship?
WP Engine doesn't need Automattic's blessing. Wordpress is GPL software.
The whole thing has implanted into the mind of any wordpress user paying attention they should start thinking about alternatives.
100% this: the sole owner of the foundation, trademark, and primary web portal has come across as absolutely unhinged, vengeful, and petty as all hell.
If I had any wordpress sites that I relied on professionally/ran a business on/made money with I'd be SERIOUSLY investigating any option that didn't involve wordpress since the last thing I want is my business on software beholden to someone who is perfectly willing to be visibly nuts online.
Not a good thing for stability in general, you know?
I was honestly surprised how unstable the Automattic CEO sounded. He is literally sabotaging his own company/product/project.
It's a public mental implosion.
I think this is like a parallel situation as seen in the Reddit ceo driving migration to lemmy.
The wp meltdown was destructive and healthy at the same time. A minority of wp users will look into alternatives, which will help make those better to use because the devs get more support, and/or the alternative communities and ecosystems start to grow
I understand they made some code contributions (no sources to hand right now) and also made / sponsored the WPGraphQL and Advanced Custom Fields plugins. The first, Automattic poached the developer; the second, Automattic rebranded it and removed any mention of WPE.
Not saying that WPE is beyond reproach; just not sure it's 100% accurate to say they didn't contribute anything back at all
LWN had a couple of articles about it
https://lwn.net/Articles/991906/ https://lwn.net/Articles/993895/
thanks, the first one helped me understand it
You got several TLDRs
Here's a longer play by play, with most of the details, if your interested:
https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/10/wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained/