The Fallout Continues: The Matt Mullenweg-WP Engine Saga

At this point, Matt Mullenweg’s feelings about WP Engine have been no secret – not to the CMS and SaaS industries, nor the world at large.

However, Automattic’s outspoken CEO has now gone a step further. What started out as a passionate blog post and turned into a back-and-forth of official statements and cease-and-desist letters has now materialised into serious ramifications for WordPress.

A few days ago, Mullenweg made a statement to WordPress staff regarding their personal opinions on his stance regarding the ordeal, asserting that those who disagreed with his views would be offered the chance to leave the company along with a generous severance package.

It’s unclear exactly what inspired this move by Mullenweg, but we’d be remiss to neglect the fact that his actions over the last week haven’t exactly been supported by all. It’s possible that he was expecting more support from the rest of the industry and from his own employees, and the response he received following his blog past may not have been what he had hoped for.

So, did Matt Mullenweg offer WordPress employees the chance to leave as a purely ideological move fueled by kindness and a steadfast commitment to his opinion? Or, was this an attempt to gain support and curry favour after a tough week for WordPress and a lot of negative media attention toward both WordPress and Automattic?

It’s hard to know exactly what the rationale was behind this move, but whatever the case may be, it doesn’t seem like it’s gone the way Mullenweg would’ve hoped.

Indeed, on Thursday the 3rd of October, the CEO of Automattic announced that 159 WordPress employees had chosen to accept the severance package and would be leaving the company. And, there’s no dancing around their reasoning – they disagree with Mullenweg’s stance on the WP Engine debate and don’t support the way in which he’s dealt with the situation.

Regardless of his initial motivation behind offering employees a way out, it seems fair to say that this whole ordeal doesn’t look good for WordPress, and more importantly, it reflects pretty poorly on Automattic and Mullenweg.

Whether or not he was right about the apparent trademarking issues between WP Engine and WordPress that he wrote about in his first blog post, it seems as if the situation has now spiralled, and it’s nearly out of control.

Was Matt Mullenweg Too Bold?

Being a CEO isn’t a popularity contest, nor should it be. In fact, some of the most successful CEOs of our time have been notoriously disliked, including Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, who led the company to become one of the most successful tech giants in the world.

However, being the unpopular CEO doesn’t always work out, and Matt Mullenweg might be about to learn that lesson the hard way.

The CEO’s job is to put the company first and always act in its best interests, leading it to success as a strong, confident leader.

But, although Mullenweg’s actions may appear to have been intended to protect WordPress and safeguard its trademarking agreement, an argument could be made that if this was his true intention, there are way better ways he could’ve achieved his goal.

Blog posting may be a great way to express and share thoughts and opinions, but if you really want to get something done – especially something with legal ramifications – you’d probably be better off going a different route.

Like, contacting the company lawyers and discerning the ins and outs of the legalities surrounding WordPress’s trademarking agreement along with recommendations on the best way forward. Or, perhaps, contacting WP Engine’s CEO or lawyers directly to voice the concerns.

Whatever the case may be, it seems like Mullenweg’s blog post was either a misguided and poorly thought-out attempt to force WP Engine into paying WordPress for trademark licensing or it was a move fueled by a powerful CEO hoping to gain media attention while attracting support from others in the industry.

Either way, the whole ordeal hasn’t gone particularly well for WordPress, and unfortunately for Automattic’s CEO, Matt Mullenweg’s name is right at the centre of the drama.

If things don’t get any better in the coming days and weeks, the company may forced to make a decisive move in order to gain face in the eyes of the public. On the one hand, that may equate to taking proper legal action against WP Engine and sticking by the assertions made in the initial blog post and to the press and employees.

The other possibility, however, is that, rightly or wrongly, Matt Mullenweg may be at the receiving end of Automattic’s attempt to make things right. It’s not uncommon for boards to oust CEO’s in the wake of public scrutiny, and in a situation like this in which Mullenweg has wholeheartedly led the charge in the whole ordeal, it’s a move that seems very plausible.

But, who knows – perhaps Mullenweg still has a rabbit to pull out of his hat. Perhaps Automattic’s board wholeheartedly agrees with his actions and the ramifications they’ve had for not only public perception of WordPress but for the general health of the business too. For now, we’ll be waiting with bated breath.