Not Sure What Zach Is Talking About and Now He’s...  🔗 **Source:** [Not Sure What Zach Is Talking About and Now He’s...](https://twitter.com/trentlapinski/status/2098621834467881299/?rw_tt_thread=True) > [!note]+ Document Notes > tags: [automattic, wp-engine-lawsuit, private-equity, wordpress-governance] > author: Trent Lapinski > source: X (@trentlapinski) > reference: https://twitter.com/trentlapinski/status/2098621834467881299 > date created: 2026-09-12 > > > [!info] Generated analysis — not the author's words. Sections below are machine-written > > from the captured source. Only text inside `> [!quote]` blocks is verbatim from the author. > > Do not quote or attribute any other line to the named author. > > <!-- deep-read: light-touch --> > Light-touch by design: a 279-word, ten-post thread answering a quote post by Zach Vorhies, which the thread attaches as a screenshot. It contains serious unsourced allegations; this note records that they exist without repeating them. > > # 🏷️ Title: Not sure what Zach is talking about and now he's blocked me > <!-- deep-read:sections start --> ## 📝 Summary Trent Lapinski says Zach blocked him, and that disagreeing with Matt Mullenweg doesn't make him a supporter of private equity. He says he opposes private equity in WordPress and open source, and that he spent five years in the WordPress project and its governance. He argues that Mullenweg took money from BlackRock, Salesforce, and others, so he can't credibly oppose private equity. He predicts WP Engine will win its lawsuit, calls Mullenweg's actions illegal, and predicts a shareholder class action and a possible injunction to remove him as CEO. He also makes unsourced allegations about Mullenweg's personal conduct. He ends by saying he respects what Mullenweg created but not his decisions. ## 🗒️ Who said what **Trent Lapinski** (@trentlapinski): > [!quote] > Just because I don’t agree with all the dumb things Matt is doing doesn’t mean I support private equity. > [!quote] > You cannot be against private equity then cash a check from BlackRock. That’s exactly what Matt did. He invited snakes into Automattic. I’m sure he regrets it now. > [!quote] > My belief that WP Engine will win their lawsuit isn’t because I support them, it’s based on the facts of the case. **Zach Vorhies** (@Perpetualmaniac), in the attached screenshot, posted 10:30 PM on 9/11/26 (transcribed from the image): > [!quote] > Bro you were cheering on private equity to destroy Automatic/Wordpress and shaming Matt for trying to not let that happen. The screenshot quotes a Trent post from 9/27/24 that calls the trademark claims against WP Engine "a smokescreen" and the WordPress Foundation's trademark licensing to Automattic "convoluted." ## 🔗 Context - TechCrunch (2026-09-11) describes WP Engine as majority-owned by private equity firm Silver Lake and "currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Mullenweg and Automattic." It reports that Mullenweg suggested Silver Lake was involved in a plan to "destroy" his life, and that the board had voted to put him on paid leave. - Zach's "coordinated attack" echoes that suggestion. The screenshot cites nothing for it. ## ⚖️ What it does not establish - **Legal outcomes.** "Illegal," "extortion," and "he's going to lose" are the author's predictions. No ruling or filing is cited, and the lawsuit is ongoing per TechCrunch. - **The investment claims.** BlackRock and Salesforce are named as Automattic investors with no links or round details. - **A shareholder class action or injunction.** These are predictions; no filing is cited. - **The personal-conduct allegations.** They come with no source, link, or document and aren't repeated here. - **Credentials.** The five years of WordPress governance involvement is self-reported. ## ✅ Reasoning check - **Tu quoque.** "You cannot be against private equity then cash a check from BlackRock" charges hypocrisy. Even if true, it doesn't show whether opposing a PE-owned competitor is right or wrong. Fix: argue the merits of the dispute separately from Mullenweg's funding history. - **Ad hominem on both sides.** Trent's "dumb things" and "snakes," and Zach's "No one should ever take you seriously," target people instead of claims. ## 🎯 Conclusion A public feud between two commentators, useful only as a record of how the Automattic board dispute is getting tied to the WP Engine lawsuit and to private equity. It adds no checkable facts. Rely on reporting and court records, and don't cite the allegations from this thread. <!-- deep-read:sections end --> 📄 **Full text:** [[Full Document Contents/Tweets/Not Sure What Zach Is Talking About and Now He’s....md|Not Sure What Zach Is Talking About and Now He’s... by Trent Lapinski]] ## Highlights - You cannot be against private equity then cash a check from BlackRock. That’s exactly what Matt did. He invited snakes into Automattic. I’m sure he regrets it now. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01m2azta7n1ke30c8rqftfvzw7)) - Note: Core argument of the thread: hypocrisy charge (tu quoque). Taking investor money doesn't settle whether opposing a PE-owned competitor is right. - Tags: fallacy/tu-quoque, atom/literature/h2