WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg Attacked Me  ## Metadata - Author: [[Jesse Nickles]] - Full Title: WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg Attacked Me - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #opensource - #leadership - #conflict Author: Little Bizzy Source: Matt Mullenweg’s Attack on LittleBizzy Reference: https://www.littlebizzy.com/blog/matt-mullenweg-attack date created: {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} {{time:HH:mm}} --- # Title: Matt Mullenweg’s Attack on LittleBizzy ## Table of Contents:  - 📝 [Summary](#-summary) - 📖 [Main Content](#-main-content) - 🗒️ [Notes](#-notes) - 🗣️ [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: - Little Bizzy. "Matt Mullenweg’s Attack on LittleBizzy." https://www.littlebizzy.com/blog/matt-mullenweg-attack ## 📝 Summary: The article details the conflict between Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress, and LittleBizzy, a hosting and website optimization company. It accuses Mullenweg of attacking smaller companies like LittleBizzy for not aligning with his business strategies and monopolizing control over the WordPress ecosystem. The article explores the broader implications of leadership behavior in open-source communities and the challenges of maintaining independence in a landscape increasingly dominated by large organizations. ## 📖 Main Content: The conflict between Matt Mullenweg and LittleBizzy stems from the latter’s refusal to adopt certain business practices promoted by Mullenweg. LittleBizzy claims that Mullenweg’s attack is part of a larger pattern of exerting control over companies in the WordPress ecosystem. The article criticizes Mullenweg for using his influence to pressure smaller players in the industry. ### Leadership Criticism The article suggests that Mullenweg’s actions reflect a desire to centralize control within the WordPress ecosystem, positioning his company Automattic as the dominant player. This, according to LittleBizzy, stifles innovation and forces smaller companies to conform to Mullenweg’s business model. ### Impact on Open Source LittleBizzy argues that the open-source ethos of WordPress is being compromised by the growing commercial influence of Automattic. The conflict highlights concerns about how corporate influence is shaping the future of open-source software, with smaller companies feeling increasingly sidelined. ### 🗒️ Notes: - **Centralized control**: LittleBizzy accuses Mullenweg of using his influence to centralize control over WordPress, harming smaller companies in the process. - **Stifled innovation**: Mullenweg’s actions are seen as stifling innovation by pressuring smaller companies to follow Automattic's business model. - **Open-source challenges**: The article raises concerns about the future of open-source projects in an increasingly commercialized environment. ## 🗣️ Paraphrase: 1. **On Mullenweg’s influence**: LittleBizzy argues that Matt Mullenweg is leveraging his position to centralize control over the WordPress ecosystem, pushing smaller companies like theirs to adopt practices that align with Automattic’s interests. 2. **On the open-source landscape**: The article suggests that the commercial pressures exerted by Mullenweg and Automattic are compromising the open-source nature of WordPress, creating a landscape where innovation is stifled and smaller players struggle to remain independent. ## 📰 Newsletter: In this week’s newsletter, we examine the ongoing conflict between Matt Mullenweg and LittleBizzy. Accusations of monopolistic behavior within the WordPress ecosystem are raising concerns about the future of open-source projects. As more companies feel the pressure to align with Automattic’s business strategies, the question remains: is WordPress staying true to its open-source roots? Read more about the debate and its implications [here](https://www.littlebizzy.com/blog/matt-mullenweg-attack). ## ✅ Action Items: As a Developer Advocate focused on open-source sustainability, this article presents an opportunity to: - Engage in discussions around leadership and corporate influence in open-source communities. - Advocate for balanced governance models that protect smaller companies and encourage innovation. - Promote the open-source values of transparency, inclusivity, and collaboration in leadership discussions within the WordPress ecosystem. ## 🧪 Hypotheses: - Increasing corporate influence within open-source projects like WordPress will lead to a decline in community-driven innovation. - Smaller companies in the WordPress ecosystem will face greater challenges in maintaining independence as larger organizations consolidate control. ### 📊 Methodology: A survey of companies operating within the WordPress ecosystem could provide insights into how corporate influence is affecting their operations and innovation. This could include case studies of companies that have resisted aligning with Automattic’s business practices. ### ❓ Questions: - What governance models can help protect the independence of smaller companies within open-source ecosystems? - How can open-source projects like WordPress balance corporate interests with community-driven innovation? ### 🔮 Future Research: Further research could explore the long-term impacts of corporate influence on open-source projects, particularly in terms of innovation and community engagement. Additionally, studies on the effectiveness of governance models in protecting smaller players from monopolistic behavior would be valuable. ### 💡 Implications: The growing tension between corporate control and community-driven open-source projects could shape the future of the WordPress ecosystem. Understanding how to balance these interests is crucial for maintaining a healthy, innovative, and inclusive community. ### 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment: 1. **Visual Learners (Spatial)**: - **Present**: The article is text-heavy and lacks visual aids. - **Improve**: Adding visual elements, such as infographics comparing corporate and community-driven governance models, would enhance engagement. 2. **Aural Learners (Auditory-Musical)**: - **Present**: No auditory content is available. - **Improve**: Including a podcast or interview with experts discussing leadership challenges in open-source would benefit auditory learners. 3. **Verbal Learners (Linguistic)**: - **Present**: The article is well-written and provides detailed analysis. - **Improve**: Incorporating storytelling elements about the experiences of smaller companies within the WordPress ecosystem would strengthen engagement. 4. **Physical Learners (Kinesthetic)**: - **Present**: There are no hands-on components. - **Improve**: Suggesting actionable tasks, such as participating in WordPress community governance, would appeal to kinesthetic learners. 5. **Logical Learners (Mathematical)**: - **Present**: The article presents a clear argument but lacks data-driven analysis. - **Improve**: Providing statistical insights into how corporate influence is affecting innovation would better engage logical learners. 6. **Social Learners (Interpersonal)**: - **Present**: The article touches on community dynamics but doesn’t encourage active discussion. - **Improve**: Including prompts for community dialogue about leadership challenges in open-source projects would benefit social learners. 7. **Solitary Learners (Intrapersonal)**: - **Present**: The article offers ample material for personal reflection. - **Improve**: Adding journaling prompts on leadership and innovation in open-source projects would enhance engagement for solitary learners. 8. **Naturalistic Learners**: - **Present**: There is no connection to environmental or sustainability topics. - **Improve**: Drawing parallels between sustainability in governance models and environmental sustainability could appeal to naturalistic lear - Document Tags: [[matt mullenweg]] [[wordpress]] [[wpdrama]] - Summary: Im not really sure where to start here. Matt Mullenweg the founder of WordPress recently attacked me publicly after I wrote a guest post for the very wellknown WP Tavern blog which covers all kinds of WordPressrelated news.In the post I advocated for - URL: https://www.littlebizzy.com/blog/matt-mullenweg-attack *I’m not really sure where to start here.* Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, recently attacked me publicly after I wrote a [guest post](https://wptavern.com/its-time-for-xml-rpc-in-wordpress-to-hit-the-road) for the very well-known WP Tavern blog, which covers all kinds of WordPress-related news. In the post I advocated for the hurried deprecation of XML-RPC, a rather [unstable technology](https://www.littlebizzy.com/blog/disable-xml-rpc) included by default in WordPress software that allows remote connections to WordPress-based websites, and which has been the cause of literally millions of DDoS attacks, hacked websites, and crashed servers over the last few years. *Although I’m not a software engineer,* my article was carefully researched, with arguments already echoed by dozens of WordPress “experts” on the web, including Jeff Chandler, the very owner and editor of the WP Tavern blog itself, who was [“trackbacked to death.”](https://wptavern.com/how-to-prevent-wordpress-from-participating-in-pingback-denial-of-service-attacks) Despite being (already) one of the most positively-commented stories of 2015 on WPTavern.com, for some reason Mullenweg decided to stop by — *not to share his perspective,* but to publicly insult me in the comments section: > “This is definitely one of the most misinformed and misleading things I’ve read on Tavern in a long time, but I guess the author was trying to create ‘controversial issues.'” — Matt Mullenweg > > In response to Matt’s ad hominem attack on me, developer Peter Cralen [replied](https://wptavern.com/its-time-for-xml-rpc-in-wordpress-to-hit-the-road#comment-95754), telling Matt flatly, *“It would be cool if you post why to keep XML-RPC in core.”* Now a few days later, and Matt has still refused to provide any explanation whatsoever as to why he feels so strongly about retaining (?) the volatile XML-RPC technology. Personally, I’ve never met Matt nor do I know much about him. That being said, I’ve noticed in recent years (apparently with good reason) that he acts rather **boyish and douchey**, based on [some](https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8rmta/the_way_i_work_matt_mullenweg/) of the [things](https://www.inquisitr.com/11963/more-hypocrisy-from-mullenweg-and-wordpress-with-new-themes-jihad/) I’ve [seen](https://www.gregorsmith.com/blog/2007/08/22/little-glass-houses-for-you-and-me/) him [do/say](https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenweg-on-ensuring-the-future-of-wordpress), and based on the general lack of business acumen (let alone juvenile hypocrisy) that he seems to exude. And while there is surely something to be said about Matt’s success and growing fortunes, the truth is that 99% of WordPress is achieved by the nameless, faceless volunteers that contribute thousands of hours to coding, supporting, and marketing WordPress across the globe. I do not aim to prolong or exacerbate a personal conflict with Matt; that being said, how ridiculous and disappointing that the “man-child” currently at the helm of the most widely-used CMS on the globe stoops to ad hominem attacks on my character (which I’m now forced to engage in, apparently) rather than addressing the elephant in the room — the massive rise in automated hacking attempts being carried out against WordPress-powered websites world-wide. *But seriously, what motivates such an immature, desperate attack?* I’m not sure, but **it could** have something to do with the fact that Matt has been steadily commandeering “free” plugins from wordpress.org like [WP Super Cache](https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-super-cache/), [Brute Force Protect](https://wordpress.org/plugins/bruteprotect/), etc, into his proprietary WordPress.com universe (which itself has now become the rather bloated XML-RPC-reliant [Jetpack](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jetpack/) universe… Mullenweg admitted in a [2014 interview](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2014/06/11/an-extended-interview-with-wordpress-creator-matt-mullenweg/2/) with Forbes that over 80% of Automattic’s revenue comes from upgrades purchased directly at WordPress.com, i.e. via Jetpack). **It could** have something to do with the fact that Matt is terrified of the likes of Medium, Tumblr, etc. pulling the rug right out from underneath him and stealing the [platform-PLUS-publisher](https://archive.is/0Ut2R) stage from WordPress.com. **It could** have something to do with the fact that Matt’s leadership style consists mostly of snobby, self-serving sound bites, or that his approach to scaling his business consists largely of wildly-changing pricing for services like VIP, Akismet, PollDaddy, VaultPress, or WordPress.com, all of which have several BETTER and/or more affordable options currently on the market. Despite Automattic’s best (smartest) acquisition to date – [WooCommerce](https://techcrunch.com/2015/05/19/automattic-buys-woocommerce-the-popular-plugin-for-turning-wordpress-into-a-store/), a massively popular and well-designed eCommerce plugin for WordPress – for some reason, Matt is still living in a delusional Jetpack-infused world that is aimed not at talented web developers, *but at webmasters too stupid to even setup a custom domain name for their website.* (No joke, the guy even [recommended](https://ma.tt/2015/04/a-bank-website-on-wordpress/) the terrifying Jetpack plugin to a BANK in Arizona for “better security”, which would quite possibly breech the FTC’s [federal guidelines](https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/financial-institutions-customer-information-complying) on securing customer financial information.) It was Matt himself who [boldy declared](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1jg781/i_am_matt_mullenweg_cofounder_of_wordpress_18_of/cbecgr1) on Reddit in 2014 that, *“First and foremost the most important things for a platform are stability, speed, and security.”* It was also Matt who chastised MySQL’s rapid decline after they decided to focus on profits vs. open-source quality, [stating](https://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2014/06/11/an-extended-interview-with-wordpress-creator-matt-mullenweg/2/), “Most open source companies are not good. Meaning that you can’t look at a MySQL or something like that and say, ‘They did what was best for the community and they were really successful.’ They sold for a billion dollars, good for them, but in the meantime they completely lost the database market.” To both these ends, Matt… why in the @#$%! are you so obsessed with blindly pushing XML-RPC and Jetpack onto the WordPress community? While I’m sure the pressure for “profits” from your investors is strong, **I strongly encourage you to see WooCommerce as your golden goose of the future, and not @#$%! Jetpack.** For now, let’s hope that the forthcoming [JSON API](https://wp-api.org/) leads to the quick demise of XML-RPC in WordPress, and that “remote connections” again become an OPTIONAL feature of the platform, in the name of “stability, speed, and security.” P.S. Matt, in case you’re not aware… your WordPress site takes a ludicrous [14 seconds](https://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/#!/eJ6gPc/https://matt.wordpress.com/) to load, in contrast with LittleBizzy.com coming in at under [0.4 seconds](https://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/#!/bDUtpj/https://www.littlebizzy.com)… if you are looking for better hosting, you know where to find me :) *Last modified: 6 Jan, 2016**https://www.littlebizzy.com/?p=5060*, WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg Attacked Me, Jesse Nickles, 01j8jjacqg7nqa4sqk6rhn1252.