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.
this post was submitted on 11 Dec 2024
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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.
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
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?
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
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/