Automattic—Automattic CEO publicly attacked WP Engine, restricted WordPress.org access in trademark dispute
In September 2024, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg escalated a trademark dispute with WP Engine by publicly calling them a 'cancer to WordPress,' blocking WP Engine's access to WordPress.org resources, and demanding they pay trademark licensing fees. WP Engine sued Automattic. The dispute disrupted the WordPress ecosystem and drew widespread criticism for using control of WordPress.org infrastructure as leverage in a commercial dispute.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corporate Governance | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Infrastructure Accountability | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Open Source | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.953 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.57)
Evidence (1 signal)
The Verge report on Automattic-WP Engine dispute and WordPress.org access blocking
The Verge published detailed reporting on the escalating dispute between Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine, including Mullenweg's 'cancer to WordPress' comments and the blocking of WP Engine from WordPress.org resources.