The WordPress drama

Earlier this week, at WordCamp US, Matt Mullenweg declared war on WP Engine. I won't get into the nuts and bolts of it but essentially he's upset with how WPE has been using the WordPress trademark and how little they've been contributing back to the project.

To have dragged this out into the public eye feels misguided. At the same time, after reviewing WP Engine’s website, I understand some of the frustration. Their language feels deceptive and implies that WordPress is a WP Engine product. This couldn’t be further from the truth if the contribution hours are accurate.

Similarly, WordPress.com has always walked a fine line and, depending on the plan, could create an equally degraded user experience. Many confuse WP.com and WP.org, and Automattic claims that WPE is doing the same thing.

There’s a lot of grey here, so neither side feels completely right or wrong, but I feel like Automattic comes out worse for wear. I feel for the people working there who could have done without this noise.