WPDrama: Matt Loves WordPress Too Much

5 minute read

Full disclosure: I used AI to help me organize my super disjointed thoughts. So though some parts of it read like A.I., it was just reorganizing and rehashing the thoughts I put down first.

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The WordPress ecosystem has been a hot mess since September 2024 when its leader, Matt Mullenweg, gave his “spiciest” conference talk yet. Its fallout includes lawsuits, court injunctions, people and companies getting banned, major loss of trust, and lots of hurt feelings in a usually positive community. But I don’t think the root cause of all these strifes was greed, pride, or a hunger for power. Ironically, I believe all this #wpdrama was because Matt Mullenweg just loves WordPress too much.

The Problem: Power Centralization

The fallout wasn’t just because there was a boycott of a company in the WordPress community, WPEngine—it was because it came so unilaterally in many ways. Matt effectively legislated a new rule (“if you don’t contribute 5% to WordPress core, you get banned from the community”), judged WPEngine to be in violation of that rule by himself (he didn’t mention conferring with anyone), and carried out the sentence (calling for a boycott, and later blocking WPEngine and all their customers and affiliates from accessing WordPress.org)—all without widespread support or consensus.

(Unfortunately, the situation is such that anyone supporting Matt is suspect: are they truly aligned with his policies, or are they simply afraid of becoming the next target? Nevermind that though.)

This centralization of power is deeply ironic given WordPress’s foundational ideals of freedom and democracy. While initially idealistic and community-focused, the challenges of freeloaders and profit-driven entities have shaped Matt into a bold-but-often-hot-headed leader who employs brinkmanship strategies to protect what he’s built.

The Duality of WordPress as a Public Good

Matt argues that WordPress is a public good and calls for universal contribution to its growth. While the code itself qualifies as a public good, its connection to the WordPress brand and infrastructure—entities under Matt’s direct control—complicates the matter.

The WordPress Foundation, which theoretically governs the project, is opaque and largely silent. Matt’s centralized control means that WordPress operates less like a democracy and more like a usually-benevolent dictatorship. While his vision and leadership have undeniably shaped WordPress’s success, the lack of checks and balances raises questions about long-term sustainability and fairness.

Governance and Investment Challenges

The absence of a structured governance model creates a precarious environment for contributors and businesses. Would you invest in a system where one individual holds the power to ban, defame, or financially sabotage participants without accountability? It’s like investing in a country ruled by a dictator who can unilaterally confiscate your goods, expel you, or even incarcerate you without answering your anyone. People and businesses gravitate toward systems with clear rules, equitable enforcement, and predictability—WordPress is not shaping up to be such a system.

Seizing control of the plugin Advanced Custom Fields and expelling WP Engine from the community—complete with public defamation and legal threats—left the community with a clear message: Matt does what he wants and your business is not safe.

The Community’s Real Concern

The issue isn’t about siding with corporate entities like Silver Lake, which owns a stake in WP Engine and has fiduciary obligations to profit. Few in the WordPress community are defending such companies’ practices. The real concern is Matt’s consolidation of power and his unilateral approach to enforcing his vision.

When Silver Lake retaliated with legal action, it was seen by some as a much-needed check on Matt’s authority. A judge’s admonition to “play nice” felt like a rare moment of accountability. But instead of adjusting course, Matt framed the situation as a loss for WordPress, reinforcing the narrative that big businesses are the enemy—not the instability caused by WordPress’s dependence on one person’s whim.

A Path Forward

What’s the solution? Matt won’t step down, nor do I think the community actually wants him to. For years, his leadership has been more asset than liability. But maybe we can at least add some stability to the situation. We don’t need a full-on revolution.

The WordPress community could look to historical examples of balancing power, such as the evolution of the British monarchy. While Britain’s road to democracy is no where near as cool as America’s, they are clearly also living in democracy today. The change doesn’t need to be revolutionary, just progressive. By establishing clear rules with which Matt himself must comply, Matt could maintain significant (beneficial) influence while providing the transparency and stability the ecosystem needs.

Like the early British constitutional monarchy, organizations could be instituted to moderate and stabilize Matt’s whims. For instance, the following could be added:

• Legislative branch: An elected board to define policies, such as contribution requirements.
• Judicial branch: Committees to review infractions and enforce policies.
• Executive branch: A director to lead operations, with Matt retaining veto power, reversible by a supermajority vote.

And of course those boards/committees would need to somehow be autonomous of Matt. I.e., not on Automattic’s payroll and not chosen by Matt himself, or else they’d just be more puppets. They could be actually elected from WordPress contributors, or their positions could be earned by contributing to WordPress core, etc.

The point is to preserve Matt’s leadership while addressing concerns about unchecked authority.

How About The Lawsuit against Automattic/Matt?

Last I checked, WPEngine is suiting Matt/Automattic for a bunch of stuff, but at the end of the day it has something to do with how he’s been trying to bring down their company. So, what’s the solution there? Should he continue to fight it, or should WPEngine drop the case?

I think the biggest win for WordPress would be if Matt just settled out of court, and paid to some degree for the damages he’s caused to them. I know he would hate this because he really hates Silver Lake who owns a big chunk of WPEngine. But I think this would be a win for WordPress because it would essentially be a check on Matt’s unrestrained dictatorial authority on the community. It would say “hey, enough’s enough. Matt’s going to play nice. He made a mistake and he’s going to fix it.”

Being able to apologize isn’t a sign of weakness. I’m pretty sure the WordPress community would breath a huge sigh of relief if Matt were to do this; and he’d regain a ton of trust. And it would benefit the WordPress community that he loves.

Matt’s Legacy and Love for WordPress

Matt’s deep love for WordPress is clear—it’s his life’s work. His bold actions stem from a desire to protect it from exploitation and ensure its longevity. But true love can also sometimes mean letting go a little. In this case, it could mean trusting the community to help lead and creating a framework that endures beyond his tenure.

The WordPress ecosystem thrives on collaboration. To sustain this spirit, Matt must prioritize governance reforms that instill confidence and protect against potential abuses—not just by others, but even by himself.

In his 2007 blog post, Matt wrote about maximizing the good in open-source projects:

“Celebrate the successes. Connect, promote, and embrace those creating on top of your creation. Provide ways for people to give back with as little friction as possible.”

https://ma.tt/2007/07/price-of-freedom/

It’s time to revisit those ideals. Build a system that rewards contributions, celebrates successes, and ensures fair treatment for all—Matt included.

One Question I Haven’t Answered

I think the real reason Matt won’t step down is because he’s afraid abusers like Silver Lake will step up. That’s a tricky problem: how to hand off power but not to the wrong people. I don’t really know the answer to that one. (Really what do I know? Thanks for reading anyway.) Good luck to him and everyone else who loves WordPress.