Matt Mullenweg’s Battle with WP Engine: What’s at Stake for WordPress?

When the creator of a platform that powers over 40% of the internet publicly calls out a company, people take notice.

Matt Mullenweg’s fiery criticism of WP Engine, a leading managed WordPress hosting provider, is more than just a battle between business competitors. It’s a shot across the bow in a larger conversation about the ethics of monetising open-source platforms.

Mullenweg didn’t mince words, labelling WP Engine a "cancer to WordPress" and accusing them of stripping away key features to cut costs, all while profiting off the confusion that WP Engine is somehow synonymous with WordPress.

The Core Issue: Contributions vs. Profiteering

At the heart of Mullenweg’s rant is the idea that companies like WP Engine are profiteering off WordPress without sufficiently giving back to its open-source ecosystem.

Mullenweg contrasts his own company, Automattic, with WP Engine by highlighting the disparity in hours contributed to WordPress’ growth. Automattic contributes 3,900 hours per week, compared to WP Engine’s paltry 40 hours, despite both companies having similar revenues of around half a billion dollars.

The ethical argument Mullenweg makes is clear: WordPress thrives as an open-source project because companies like Automattic invest in it. WP Engine, by contrast, seems to extract value without replenishing the well.

Mullenweg doesn’t stop at WP Engine.

His critique extends to the company’s investor, Silver Lake, a private equity firm more concerned with profits than open-source ideals. This is a familiar narrative in tech — private equity comes in, strips away resources, and maximises profits at the expense of long-term sustainability.

For Mullenweg, WP Engine’s approach is a dangerous precedent that could harm the future of WordPress if other companies follow suit.

What This Means for Users

Mullenweg’s plea to WordPress users is straightforward: rethink your support for WP Engine. He encourages customers to “vote with your wallet” and consider alternative hosting providers like Hostinger, Bluehost Cloud, or Pressable — companies that he believes will “nourish the ecosystem” rather than “frack every bit of value out of it.”

For everyday users, Mullenweg raises a serious concern about WP Engine’s practices that hit directly at WordPress’ core promise of managing and protecting content.

WP Engine disables key features, like revision histories, which are essential for content creators who need the ability to roll back to previous versions of their work. According to Mullenweg, this is a cost-cutting move that betrays WordPress’ commitment to empowering its users.

Mullenweg’s takedown of WP Engine is a timely reminder that the success of open-source platforms like WordPress relies on a delicate balance between commercial interests and community contributions. Companies that fail to give back to the ecosystem while reaping its benefits risk undermining the very foundation they’re built on.

In a world where more and more of the internet is built on open-source technology, Mullenweg’s words should serve as a wake-up call to businesses and users alike: open-source isn’t just free software, it’s a collaborative ecosystem that requires active participation.

Companies that fail to understand this may find themselves on the wrong side of history — or, at the very least, on the wrong side of the WordPress community.