When WordPress Goes to War  ## Metadata - Author: [[Marketing Junto | News & Commentary About Digital Marketing]] - Full Title: When WordPress Goes to War - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: [#wordpress, #governance, #community] Author: Marketing Junto Source: Marketing Junto Blog Reference: [Link](https://marketingjunto.com/when-wordpress-goes-to-war) date created: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}} --- # Title: When WordPress Goes to War: A Deep Dive into the Governance Struggle ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) ### References: Include a list of sources consulted and cited in the article. ## 📝 Summary: The article "When WordPress Goes to War" by Marketing Junto discusses the current conflicts within the WordPress ecosystem, focusing on the governance struggles involving Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine. It highlights the tension between centralized authority and calls for community-led decision-making. The author argues that without broader input from contributors and stakeholders, WordPress risks alienating its community and hampering its growth. ## 📖 Main Content: The main focus of the article revolves around the ongoing power dynamics in WordPress governance. It discusses Matt Mullenweg's influential role and how some community members feel their voices are not being adequately heard. The article draws attention to the need for decentralized governance and improved transparency to ensure a more inclusive decision-making process. - **Centralization of Power**: - The article criticizes the centralized control Matt Mullenweg has, especially in decisions impacting the broader community. - The lack of input from contributors is seen as a significant problem for fostering a thriving open-source ecosystem. - **Community Involvement**: - Suggestions are made for how to better include the community in decision-making processes. - Establishing an advisory council composed of diverse community members could potentially democratize leadership. - **Conflict with WP Engine**: - Details are provided about WP Engine's recent disagreements with WordPress leadership, which center around hosting partnerships and governance disputes. - These disagreements are framed as symptomatic of deeper issues within WordPress’s governance structure. ### 🗒️ Notes - **Centralized Decision-Making**: - The authority rests heavily on Matt Mullenweg. - This creates tension between the WordPress Foundation and the commercial ecosystem. - **Community Advisory Proposals**: - Introducing a representative council to decentralize power. - The need for diverse representation to ensure all contributors feel valued. - **WP Engine Dispute**: - Conflict centered around hosting and commercial interests. - Seen as part of broader challenges related to the balance between corporate interests and community values. ## 📖 References: - Marketing Junto. "When WordPress Goes to War." Marketing Junto Blog, 2024. [Link](https://marketingjunto.com/when-wordpress-goes-to-war) ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. Original: "The centralized control wielded by Matt Mullenweg over WordPress governance has led to frustration among community members who feel excluded from decision-making." - Paraphrase: Matt Mullenweg's significant influence over WordPress governance has caused frustration among contributors who feel left out of important decisions. 2. Original: "The dispute with WP Engine is more than just a hosting disagreement; it symbolizes the deeper issues within the WordPress ecosystem regarding power, control, and governance." - Paraphrase: The conflict with WP Engine goes beyond hosting—it reflects broader governance issues related to power and control within the WordPress ecosystem. ## 📰 Newsletter: 🌟 **WordPress Governance Shake-Up? Learn What's Happening!** In the latest news from the WordPress world, Marketing Junto takes us through the escalating tensions between WordPress leadership and WP Engine. 😲 The debate revolves around governance, with calls from the community for more transparency and decentralized control. Is WordPress too centralized under Matt Mullenweg's leadership? 🤔 Discover how these debates could shape the future of WordPress and what it means for contributors like you! Dive deeper here: [When WordPress Goes to War](https://marketingjunto.com/when-wordpress-goes-to-war). 📝 ## ✅ Action Items: - **Governance Exploration**: Consider how a decentralized governance model might apply to the WordPress ecosystem. - **Community Representation**: Investigate methods for including broader community input in decision-making processes. - **OSPO Alignment**: Reflect on how the proposed governance changes could align with an Open Source Program Office (OSPO) structure, supporting sustainability and transparency. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: 1. Decentralizing WordPress governance will increase contributor satisfaction and participation. 2. Establishing an advisory council will improve community trust in leadership decisions. 3. More transparent decision-making processes will reduce tensions between the WordPress Foundation and commercial stakeholders. ### 📊 Methodology: - **Community Surveys**: Conduct surveys to gauge contributor sentiment regarding centralized versus decentralized governance. - **Participation Analysis**: Track contributor activity levels before and after governance changes. - **Case Studies**: Analyze other open-source projects that have adopted community-led governance for insights. ### ❓ Questions: 1. How can WordPress leadership balance centralized decision-making with community input? 2. What impact would a governance council have on current project dynamics? 3. How could WP Engine’s influence shape future WordPress development? ### 🔮 Future Research: - **Impact of Community Governance**: Study other open-source projects that transitioned to community-led governance to identify best practices. - **Contributor Engagement**: Research how governance models affect contributor motivation and engagement levels. - **Corporate vs. Community Interests**: Explore how other open-source projects balance corporate sponsorship and community needs. ### 💡 Implications: - Implementing a governance council could make WordPress more inclusive, fostering a greater sense of ownership among contributors. - Transparent governance might attract new contributors who value an open decision-making process. - Balancing corporate and community interests remains a challenge that could influence WordPress's ability to grow sustainably. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: - **Readability**: High School Level (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level 11). 1. **Visual Learners (Spatial)**: - **Present**: None. - **Improve**: Add charts illustrating power distribution in the WordPress ecosystem. 2. **Aural Learners (Auditory-Musical)**: - **Present**: None. - **Improve**: Record an audio version summarizing the key points. 3. **Verbal Learners (Linguistic)**: - **Present**: Rich, descriptive language. - **Improve**: Include anecdotes to provide more context for the arguments. 4. **Physical Learners (Kinesthetic)**: - **Present**: None. - **Improve**: Include suggested activities, such as joining WordPress forums for governance discussions. 5. **Logical Learners (Mathematical)**: - **Present**: Arguments for and against centralized governance. - **Improve**: Provide a decision-tree breakdown for governance options. 6. **Social Learners (Interpersonal)**: - **Present**: Discussion of community opinions. - **Improve**: Add links to community polls and forums for further engagement. 7. **Solitary Learners (Intrapersonal)**: - **Present**: Encourages reflection on governance. - **Improve**: A - Document Tags: [[matt mullenweg]] [[open source corporate contribution]] [[wordpress]] [[wpdrama]] [[wp engine]] - Summary: This is coming out of cycle because of the timeliness of what's going on. If you're not sure what I'm talking about don't feel bad. Just read on. I wasn't going to write about this here, but I think it needs to be talked about EVERYWHERE. - URL: https://marketingjunto.com/when-wordpress-goes-to-war/ [Open Source](https://marketingjunto.com/tag/open-source/) This is coming out of cycle because of the timeliness of what's going on. If you're not sure what I'm talking about don't feel bad. Just read on. I wasn't going to write about this here, but I think it needs to be talked about EVERYWHERE. AI FTW with this graphic! At the annual [WordCamp US conference in Portland Oregon](https://us.wordcamp.org/2024/?ref=marketingjunto.com), Automattic CEO and WordPress co-founder [Matt Mullenweg](https://ma.tt/?ref=marketingjunto.com) waged, what many are calling, nuclear war on a hosting provider — [WP Engine](https://wpengine.com/?ref=marketingjunto.com). At the time, and it's gotten a lot messier since , Matt, who is essentially the head of the open source WordPress.org project as well, said at the Q&A (more like a keynote), that WP Engine's private equity owners, Silver Lake Partners, don't contribute enough to the open source platform, but still takes tons of benefit and resources out of the project for commercial gain. Some content could not be imported from the original document. [View content ↗](https://www.youtube.com/embed/fnI-QcVSwMU?feature=oembed) Since then, WP Engine has sent Matt, Automattic, and the WordPress Foundation, cease and desist letter. And guess what, Matt et. al sent WP Engine one right back. Now everyone is going to court. WP Engine/Silver Lake Partners are pretty tight lipped. But Matt hasn't been at all. Though he has since stopped posting on the official Make WordPress Slack, he has been quite talkative in the Post Status (a WordPress community group) Slack channel. He's continually defending his actions, saying they are altruistic and for the betterment of the WordPress project. I fail to understand how is declaring war on a host, and a sponsor of WordCamp US 2024, altruistic? It gets even "better!" Matt has, since he has keys to the WordPress.org blog and systems, allegedly and unilaterally, changed the [Foundation's Trademark usage page](https://wordpressfoundation.org/trademark-policy/?ref=marketingjunto.com) to call out WP Engine's use of the untrademarked "WP." A screenshot of where WPE is called out. Taken 9/28/2024 Allegedly, it appears Matt, unilaterally, used his WordPress Foundation powers to block all of WP Engine users from the Plugin Repository, though from today until 10/1, Matt reopened the repository to let updates flow. Regardless, shutting it off in the first place is a major escalation and a major security risk. It's also a blackeye to the project as a whole, in my opinion. I'm sure I'm missing something. In fact, I know I am. Information is coming out every freaking minute. This really isn't hyperbole, it's free flowing right now. Matt Medeiros and Erik Karkovak over at [The WP Minute Blog/Podcast have a "Here's What We Know"](https://thewpminute.com/automattic-vs-wp-engine-heres-what-we-know/?ref=marketingjunto.com) post documenting the saga as it unfolds. Some users have even a call for a general strike against Automattic-products. This action has been spearheaded by WordPress power user Zack Katz. [He posted this on Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@zackkatz/113200954985480211?ref=marketingjunto.com):  Look, this isn't one sided, at all. Matt Mullenweg isn't innocent, clearly. But I'm don't think WP Engine/Silver Lake Partners is either. WPE charges for things that other hosts provide for free. According to Matt Mullenweg, WPE is using what Automattic/Matt provide to the community for free without contibuting back monetarily and barely with person-hours. Hopefully this wraps up soon with minimal damage to the overall project. This video of the livestream that WP Minute put out is a must watch. Matt Mullenweg came on for a few minutes as well. Some content could not be imported from the original document. [View content ↗](https://www.youtube.com/embed/9sBuHwQpwAU?feature=oembed) WordPress is bigger than Matt Mullenweg. It's strong! I'm being hard on Matt because of how he went about this, not necessarily him actually taking the action. #### So What Do Marketers & Companies Need To Do, Besides Wait This 💩 Storm Out? First off, if you're hosting at WP Engine, there are workarounds being developed to allow you to update your site easily and securely. If you're not on WP Engine, which I might add none of my clients are, you're safe. But keep an eye on this battle. Though, in the end, it might be a phoenix rising from the nuclear ashes. Let's hope we avoid that. Am I leaving WordPress.org? Am I moving my clients away from WordPress? No. I believe in the project and the community. But I do think we need new leadership. **Are you affected by this "WordPress/WP Engine War" and want to talk about it? Reach out to me on Signal (PhillyCodeHound.08). If you want talk anonymously we can do that too.**  *Note: The irony isn't lost on me that I'm writing about WordPress and the "War" on the Ghost CMS. Not one bit.* There will be a abbreviated newsletter with links and other fun stuff on Wednesday the usual time. Until then! Keep rocking it! -Seth *Thanks for reading! If you're liking the newsletter and the content that I curate, please consider signing up for a* [*pay-what-you-want subscription*](https://marketingjunto.com/when-wordpress-goes-to-war/#/portal/support) *to help me continue to write this weekly newsletter.*, When WordPress Goes to War, Marketing Junto | News & Commentary About Digital Marketing, 01j8zjy1fhjjkb1vsmfjs2y4st.