😵 Matt Mullenweg vs. WPEngine [Part 5] ![rw-book-cover](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/L8PY_qpVv_o/maxresdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCIAKENAF8quKqQMa8AEB-AHOBYACgAqKAgwIABABGH8gGihvMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBuqealfHR0Qu8JCs_XTGQSHjJNhw) ## Metadata - Author: [[Chris Pearson]] - Full Title: 😵 Matt Mullenweg vs. WPEngine [Part 5] - Category: #articles - Document Note: Short Summary for [😵 Matt Mullenweg vs. WPEngine [Part 5]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o) by [Merlin](https://merlin.foyer.work/) Title: WP Engine's Challenges with Private Equity Ownership and its Impact on WordPress Users [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=6) WP Engine is now owned by Silver Lake, a private Equity Firm. [00:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=41) WPEngine's limitations on WordPress users [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=79) WP Engine's actions affect customers' updates. [01:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=119) Concern for the little guy [02:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=166) WP Engine outperforming Matt with investment [03:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=198) Matt wants Pressable to be the top WooCommerce host. [03:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=238) Matt Mullenweg aims to dominate hosting for WooCommerce. [04:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=274) Being first to market is crucial for a software product's success. --------------------------------- Detailed Summary for [😵 Matt Mullenweg vs. WPEngine [Part 5]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o) by [Merlin](https://merlin.foyer.work/) Title: WP Engine's Challenges with Private Equity Ownership and its Impact on WordPress Users [00:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=6) WP Engine is now owned by Silver Lake, a private Equity Firm. - Reading internet comments, there is animosity towards private Equity firms. - Matt's behavior should not be conflated with private Equity firm's behavior. [00:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=41) WPEngine's limitations on WordPress users - People hosted on WPEngine may face difficulties in updating their sites - Users may have to resort to outdated methods like FTP and manual zip files for updates [01:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=79) WP Engine's actions affect customers' updates. - WP Engine's removal from WordPress Repository affects updates for themes and plugins on customer sites. - Customers can't get updates until WP Engine develops its own system. [01:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=119) Concern for the little guy - Matt expresses hesitancy in crushing the smaller players without all the facts - Believes in trying everything to keep lights on for customers [02:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=166) WP Engine outperforming Matt with investment - WP Engine started as a for-profit company, while Automattic originated from a free open-source project. - Leading with free or freemium can lead to bloat and require more resources to manage. [03:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=198) Matt wants Pressable to be the top WooCommerce host. - Matt thinks dealing with WooCommerce elsewhere is not ideal for providers and WooCommerce is not preferred by him. - He finds WooCommerce cumbersome, preferring MemberPress and Easy Digital Downloads. [03:58](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=238) Matt Mullenweg aims to dominate hosting for WooCommerce. - MemberPress plays a significant role in his strategy. - Emphasis on Headless WordPress as a key focus since Gutenberg. [04:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o&t=274) Being first to market is crucial for a software product's success. - The timing of a product launch can determine its success for years to come. - Potential investors prioritize being the first to market with a significant offering. - Summary: Is Matt waging war against Private Equity? I get it, but is this battle worth fighting in public, especially when innocent end users are the ones experiencing disruption and uncertainty? Tough scene... - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8PY_qpVv_o so WP engine is now owned by a private Equity Firm called Silver Lake and it's become clear from Reading comments in the internet that there's a lot of animosity towards private Equity firms and how they how they handle these companies when they take them over they kind of just like Blaze through bulling a china shop profits Uber olis this kind of thing and that is gross there's no question about that I'm sure there's some valid arguments to be made there but there's no sense in conflating that with the behavior Matt is exhibiting here this this um and you also cannot ignore for any reason the effects that this has on the WordPress community and I'm not talking about like people getting upset about it or feeling like oh I don't know what's going to happen next that's all lame and Squishy I don't care about that I care about the second order effects that directly harm people who use WordPress I'm talking about people who are hosted on WP engine right now not being able to update their sites or having to go through like people now don't uh use FTP client and manual zip files and stuff to change to update their stuff yeah that's how we used to do it until like 2011 but that's a long time ago now you can't expect everybody to do that most of the people are like no no no no no no most of WP Eng's customer based not equipped to do this uh in any hosting company for that matter so it's that stuff that bothers me like like like Matt turning off or you know kicking WP engine out of the WordPress Repository means that none of those sites can receive updates on themes and plugins now they can't get updates on those components until WP engine institutes its own system to do so so he's screwing with and punishing WP engine but the pain that an organization like WP engine feels is small compared to the distributed pain felt by tons and tons of customers it's wrong to do this we're just like now we're just scorched earthing the whole thing and just crushing the little guy out here and you know maybe it's the right thing to do in the situation I don't have all the facts and the behind the scenes stuff but like I can't do that to the little guy I can't do it I cannot make users pay for my higher level uh problems that I get into you just can't do it God you just can't do that you like if you can keep the lights on for customers I feel like you have to try everything in your power to do that so maybe there and others have pointed out that um on a like per investment dollar basis WP engine is massively outperforming Matt and his properties I think there's a bunch of reasons for that I mean like let's be honest WP engine started as a for-profit company and automatic was sort of this thing that evolved from this free open source thing but into something that was a viable business that generated huge profits but when you do that you you uh like when you lead with free or freemium you end up with a whole lot of bloat that you got to kind of wrangle which is going to require greater headcount greater input all this stuff so like you're already setting yourself up not to get as much yield on a per dollar investment basis when you operate that way so this kind of feels like the 40 versus 4,000 thing too like the apples versus oranges but um you know it's whatever so maybe Matt is trying to I I think specifically regarding woocommerce I think he I think he wants pressible to be the deao woo Commerce host and that'd be good because having a deal with wo Commerce anywhere else probably sucks for all those providers W Commerce a piece of crap huge bloated turd um it's one of my least favorite e-commerce plugins to work with in fact I prefer member press and Easy Digital downloads that's just my two cents member press by far um so anyway I I think he's trying to get the the hosting he wants to be the main host for for woo Commerce and then the other phrase was headless WordPress and I know that pretty much every initiative Matt has had since coming out with Gutenberg has been related to this idea of the Headless WordPress he's going to be able to get away from that and I think that that is probably coming it's on the in the pipeline and he wants to make sure the playing field is clear so that only he can sell that and reap all the initial runup and that's another Point worth noting the initial runup up of any big software product is huge and it really determines the playing field for the next few years so if you can get in first without any competition I I live through this it it it's just the facts it's the way it is being first to Market is so so huge so so key if I'm an investor I definitely want you to be first to Market with something big if possible and this feels like that kind of situation to me there's going to be a headless WordPress product coming and Matt wants to make sure pressible is the only one who can sell this initially that's my guess we'll see what happens fam, 😵 Matt Mullenweg vs. WPEngine [Part 5], Chris Pearson, 01j8wkprw1rfvrycn5dfeaemmj.