Here’s what you need to know.

The Feud Between WordPress and WP Engine

In a recent blog post, Automattic CEO and WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg accused WP Engine of being "a cancer to WordPress" due to their decision to disable post revision history tracking, which he considers essential for user data protection.

Mullenweg also criticized WP Engine's investor, Silver Lake, for insufficient contributions to the open-source project and claimed that WP Engine's use of the "WP" brand has led to customer confusion, making them believe WP Engine is part of WordPress.

As the controversy escalated, Automattic accused WP Engine of trademark infringement, while WP Engine countered with allegations of unfair business practices and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Automattic. WordPress.org then banned WP Engine from accessing its servers, citing "legal claims and litigation."

And the feud isn’t over yet. As the WordPress Foundation makes moves to update their trademarks and policies, other developers and companies that depend on the WordPress platform are left wondering if they’ll be the next targets. Overall, many WordPress users now feel unsafe on the platform and unsure about the future of their websites.

How Does This Affect WordPress Users and Their Websites?

Regardless of which side you’re on, this little spat of internet drama has grown into a huge problem that has far-reaching effects on WordPress users and their websites. The fallout with WP Engine left many websites broken and unable to automatically update plug-ins and themes. It also affected the security of some WordPress sites managed by WP Engine.

The move to ban WP Engine from accessing resources on wordpress.org was also very sudden, with no time for users or their service providers to prepare for the change or protect themselves from the impact. If it continues on this way, people are worried that snap decisions, limited access, and trademark lawsuits could become the norm for WordPress.

How to Keep This Drama From Affecting Your Business

This kind of thing has always been a risk of using WordPress for your law firm or healthcare practice’s website. And, ultimately, the best way to avoid this kind of drama is to choose a closed-system platform that doesn’t rely so heavily on open-source add-ons and plug-ins or the whims of one person with a beef against a rival company.

Are you ready to get off the WordPress merry-go-round and into a website that truly gives you full ownership and control? Speak with our experts about your options, or give us a call at 888.886.0939 with your questions.

We build fast, modern websites that are designed to grow with you—not work against you.

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