‘The Investment Firms Leave Behind a Barren Wasteland’  🔗 **Source:** [‘The Investment Firms Leave Behind a Barren Wasteland’](https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/02/18/is-wall-street-to-blame-for-the-collapse-of-newspapers-00141920) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: > - #OpenSource > - #LegalAnalysis > - #WordPressCommunity > Author: Matthew Charles Mullenweg > Source: Declaration Document > Reference: [View Document](gov.uscourts.cand.437474.39.0_1.pdf) > date created: 2024-11-04 08:00 > > # Title: Detailed Analysis of Matthew Mullenweg's Declaration in Automattic vs. WP Engine > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) ### References: - Automattic Legal Filings - U.S. Anti-SLAPP Statute - WordPress Community Guidelines ## 📝 Summary: Matthew Mullenweg, founder of Automattic and co-founder of WordPress, provides a declaration in support of a motion to strike and opposition to a preliminary injunction filed by WP Engine. He defends the statements made against WP Engine, contextualizing them within his role in the open-source community and the public interest. ## 📖 Main Content: Mullenweg’s declaration outlines his involvement with WordPress and Automattic, emphasizing the open-source nature of WordPress and its importance to the internet. The document details his and Automattic's efforts to maintain WordPress's integrity against what he perceives as exploitative practices by WP Engine. ### 🗒️ Notes - **Role Clarification**: Clarifies Mullenweg's roles as the founder and CEO of Automattic, and co-founder of WordPress. - **Non-Profit Work**: Mentions his founding director role at the WordPress Foundation, emphasizing its educational and charitable purposes. - **Domain Ownership**: Details his ownership of the WordPress.org domain, highlighting his personal commitment to the WordPress community. - **Open Source Advocacy**: Highlights his ongoing commitment to keeping WordPress free and open-source. - **Legal Defense**: Provides a robust defense against WP Engine’s claims, invoking First Amendment protections and the anti-SLAPP statute. - **Community Impact**: Discusses the broader implications of private equity in open-source projects. - **Specific Allegations**: Addresses specific actions by WP Engine that he claims undermine WordPress's core functions and community ethos. ## 📖 References: - Legal documents and previous public statements by Mullenweg. - WordPress.org community guidelines and open-source licensing information. ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: - **Original**: "I make this declaration in support of Defendants Automattic Inc." - **Paraphrased**: "I provide this statement to support Automattic Inc. as defendants." ## 📰 Newsletter: **WordPress Community Insights**: This month, we delve into a pivotal legal battle that could shape the future of open-source software. Matthew Mullenweg, a staunch advocate for open internet standards, stands against WP Engine in a case revolving around the principles of free speech and the integrity of community-driven projects. Learn more about how this could affect your use and development of WordPress platforms. ## ✅ Action Items: - **Community Engagement**: Encourage community feedback on how to protect open-source projects from potential exploitation. - **Legal Education**: Host webinars to educate developers on legal issues affecting open-source software. - **Support for Mullenweg's Initiatives**: Rally community support for initiatives led by Mullenweg that aim to maintain the open-source nature of WordPress. ## 🎯 Conclusion: Matthew Mullenweg's declaration in the Automattic vs. WP Engine case underscores the ongoing challenges faced by open-source communities in navigating commercial interests and maintaining the ethos of freely accessible and modifiable software. <!-- deep-read:sections end --> 📄 **Full text:** ![[Full Document Contents/Articles/‘The Investment Firms Leave Behind a Barren Wasteland’|‘The Investment Firms Leave Behind a Barren Wasteland’, POLITICO]] ## Highlights - Calling private equity an outlier oversimplifies the role both private equity and hedge funds have played in the chain newspaper market over the last two decades, and it plays into the same tired conventional wisdom that ad losses alone are responsible for all of the newspaper industry’s problems. I also think it lets private investment funds off the hook for the severe damage they have done to the local newspaper marketplace. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jbsv9mhbygs8mph12d4mwrxn))