WordPress Evolution in 2025: A Saga, Forecast, and Implications for You
In September 2024, a significant stir was caused in the WordPress community when Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, publicly criticized WP Engine during his keynote at WordCamp US. Mullenweg accused WP Engine of profiting off WordPress and WooCommerce trademarks without contributing back to the ecosystem, suggesting they should pay 8% of their gross revenue for trademark use.
The criticism led to a series of aggressive policy changes and a legal battle that has left the WordPress community in a state of uncertainty about the future of the platform. WP Engine responded with a Cease and Desist letter and then filed a lawsuit, making public a series of heated emails where Mullenweg threatened a "scorched earth nuclear approach" unless WP Engine complied with his demands.
However, it's important to note that WordPress, being protected under the GNU Public License, remains largely unaffected for users and developers. The license ensures freedom to use, study, and modify, and share the software.
One company, KOTA, which builds WordPress websites, was not affected by the drama and continues to consider WordPress a flexible, scalable, and future-proof CMS option. KOTA starts every project with a CMS discovery process to determine which platform best suits the project's needs, as it does not consider WordPress a one-size-fits-all solution. KOTA operates its own in-house hosting platform and partners with Kinsta for managed hosting, ensuring stability, speed, and reliability.
The controversy has resulted in WP Engine's access to WordPress.org being restored, as ruled by the court, and Automattic rolling back any restrictions imposed on WP Engine customers. Despite this, the legal battle is ongoing and could stretch into 2027 or beyond.
A dedicated website, wpvswpe.report, has been documenting the unfolding drama, offering a detailed timeline of events. Interestingly, there are no search results indicating that Matt Mullenweg was involved in a legal dispute with any company in 2024, prior to the controversy with WP Engine. It was only after the accusations were made that Automattic amended the terms around these trademarks.
As the legal battle continues, the WordPress community will undoubtedly keep a close eye on developments, hoping for a resolution that maintains the platform's open-source spirit and ensures its continued growth and success.
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