WP Engine has filed hundreds pages of legal documents seeking an injunction against me and Automattic. They say this is about community or some nonsense, but if you look at the core, what they’re trying to do is ask a judge to curtail my First Amendment rights.
The First Amendment is the basis of our democracy. It is inconvenient and important. It’s also short, so I’m going to quote the First Amendment in its entirety:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This means that, with rare exceptions, the government cannot tell you not to say something.
Freedom of Speech is not Freedom of Reach
The First Amendment says I should be able to state facts and my opinions about WP Engine. However, the New York Times is not required or compelled to publish them in their newspaper and distribute them to their subscribers.
WP Engine is free to publish whatever GPL code they want to the world. WordPress.org should not be compelled to distribute it or provide it free hosting.
Quiet For A While
After this post, I will refrain from personally commenting on the WP Engine case until a judge rules on the injunction. I will continue to exercise my First Amendment rights to promote others’ speech. However, I hope others speak up on our battle with WP Engine, and I will boost their speech wherever I can.
WP Engine’s GPL code should remain accessible, but platforms like WordPress.org have the right to choose what they host or promote.
I also understand why you’ve decided to hold back from personal commentary on the case. It shows a lot of restraint and respect for the legal process. Still, I hope this sparks a deeper conversation in the community. This issue isn’t just about legalities—it’s also about core values like free expression and the open-source spirit that make platforms like WordPress thrive.
Wishing you the best as you navigate this, and I know many in the community will continue to support and amplify this important discussion.
I hope that once everything gets sorted out, WordPress continues to thrive as a platform for creators. Your contributions have been immense, and these recent challenges shouldn’t overshadow the years of positive impact you’ve made.
I’m not sure why so many people seem to want businesses and their representatives to stay silent, and treat the critique of bad practices as “unprofessional” or “unsportsmanlike.” For a space to flourish there needs to be critique, there needs to be an open discussion.
You’re giving Elon Musk vibes when he went to the far right.
Hah! I don’t endorse candidates publicly but my donation history is pretty clear.
Matt to WordPress is what Linus Torvalds is to Linux Kernel. He sets the direction and is acting the central decision-maker. He is the arbiter. He is unique and has his own unique visionary imprint. I do not see WordPress without Matt and I do not see anyone come even close to filling his shoes.
Good luck!
I can speak on the battle with WP Engine, but it would not be positive to you. Which is not the same as being positive to WP Engine.
You are just doing the job of making them look like the good side of this battle yourself.
I admire your courage Matt.
In this regard, I guess you will be remembered as the guy who showed all the actual IT community that savage businesses shouldn’t be acceptable in this so called “developed world.”
Way to go, Matt. You have my support. We can argue with opinions all day long, but never with the facts. In this case, you have (and own) the facts. Best wishes.
I completely agree with you and have been following this situation from the start. The WP Engine has generated millions upon millions in revenue, yet it does very little to support WordPress compared to the countless developers and contributors who work for free, build essential plugins, and support code updates.
Sometimes it is better (although incredibly difficult) to just let things work out through the courts. When we are speaking on things that are being argued in court, due to our passion we can inadvertently say something that can be detrimental. Deep breaths and try and keep the stress under control. Never let the bad in life, change the good in you. Peace, Matt!
Thanks for sharing, Matt. While I would love to hear more from you, it’s best to keep comments on WPE private so that WPE have no bullets against you.
As my previous comments, I appreciate what you’ve done for WordPress and hope to see a win-win situation. Hopefully WPE settles.
Also, WordPress isn’t the first to enforce your trademark. Moodle does the same and don’t allow any non-partners to use the word, Moodle Hosting.
God Bless, bro 🙂
I just hope I’m a few months these things don’t negatively impact the health of the overall community and platform, or at least they can heal from this. A lot of us, our livelihoods are pretty wrapped up in this little thing called WordPress
Hi Matt,
Your creed really strikes a chord with me, especially at this time:
“I will communicate as much as possible, because it’s the oxygen of a distributed company. I am in a marathon, not a sprint, and no matter how far away the goal is, the only way to get there is by putting one foot in front of another every day. Given time, there is no problem that’s insurmountable.”
COMMUNICATE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
I know how stressful things have been lately for you, but I wish you the best!
It’s interesting how many different folks have spoken out so strongly against your practices, despite you explaining your side of the issue. I personally don’t understand the issues involved. Good luck!
The irony in all of this is how often companies and individuals profit off someone else’s work without fairly sharing the benefits, only to face backlash when the original creator pushes back.
A perfect analogy is a woman pitching an idea at a meeting—she’s met with indifference, yet others quietly start implementing her idea without giving her credit. At the next meeting, a man pitches the same idea, and suddenly the company invests in it, markets it, and makes millions. The woman who originally pitched it is left with nothing.
It’s a prime example of the frustration that arises when original contributors are overlooked, while others benefit from their ideas and hard work.