The new episode of the fight over WordPress even involves pineapple pizza

The conflict involving WordPress has taken on increasingly unusual contours in recent months.

The conflict began when Matt Mullenweg, founder and CEO of Automattic – the company responsible for WordPress – blocked access to WP Engine, a third-party platform widely used to host websites.

The most recent episode added a surreal tone to the dispute, further putting the website creation tool's already shaken image at risk.

Last week, a California district court issued a preliminary injunction in favor of WP Engine, prohibiting Automattic from restricting the platform's access to WordPress.org, essential for installing and updating themes and plugins. Before the injunction, access had been limited due to the dispute between the companies.

The decision also required the removal of a controversial checkbox on the site's login page, where users were required to confirm that they had “no ties to WP Engine, financial or otherwise.” Without checking this option, login was not permitted.

Although the original box has been removed, it has been replaced by another: now, users have to declare that “pineapple is delicious on pizza”. As before, anyone who does not agree with the statement cannot access or register an account.

Industry experts are divided on the intention behind this “joke”. For some, this is a good-natured response; for others, a sign of more serious problems in the company's leadership.

“It's shocking to see what's happening,” says Frank Wiles, former president of the Django Software Foundation.

The alleged joke comes amid a long-running dispute that began when Mullenweg publicly accused WP Engine of profiting off an open source project.

According to him, the platform would have raised hundreds of millions of dollars by positioning itself as an affiliate of WordPress, contributing negligible amounts to its maintenance. The situation evolved into a legal battle, and the new login requirement appears to be a reflection of this dispute.

While Wiles recognizes the momentary satisfaction a gesture like this can bring, he ponders, “I can’t see how this can result in anything positive – not even for Matt.”

NOT EVERYONE FIND IT FUN

It remains to be seen whether the public dispute and seemingly childish reactions will affect the wider reputation of WordPress, which is currently responsible for around 40% of websites all over the world.

“To freelancersconsultants and agencies, this is a big problem, because it is a technology that will be part of your work for years”, recalls Wiles. “You want balanced people in charge.”

Others believe that the episode will not make much difference, as Mullenweg's image would already be tarnished. “I don't think this hurts the company anymore, it just reinforces how little he takes the issue seriously. It’s further proof that giving millions to 19-year-olds can be a mistake,” comments Kellie Peterson, former domain director at Automattic, where she worked from 2016 to 2023.

The controversy began when Automatic accused WP Engine of making money from an open source project.

“He's acting like a teenager testing the limits to see how far he can go,” adds Peterson.

Mullenweg, in turn, has a different view. In a post on X/ Twitter, the CEO expressed frustration with the court decision. “I am disgusted and disgusted to be legally forced to provide free work and services to @WPEngine. This sets a dangerous precedent that should concern all open source maintainers.”

Although he disagreed with the injunction, he claimed to have “fully complied with the order”. But he did not comment on the “good-humored” way in which he decided to mock the decision when contacted by Fast Company.

Still, part of the WordPress community supports Mullenweg. He arrived at share the comment from a user who praised his stance: “at least (he) hasn’t lost his sense of humor through it all.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Stokel-Walker is a British journalist whose works are regularly published in outlets such as Wired, The Economist and Insider find out more

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