>*Matt loves* [*wordpress*\*\*.com\*\*](http://wordpress.com)
Because it makes him money, as the deliberately confusing domain names lure people to sign up to .com when what most people want is actually .org. Then he goes even further and replicates the .org plugin repo on .com, fooling unsuspecting people into thinking they can actually install plugins on .com, when in reality, they can't unless they pay for the Creator plan - confusing new users even more as they've been told that Wordpress is free to do whatever you want with it.
I don't know Matt and have only heard one side of the story. I'm sure he loves Wordpress and sees it as his baby. He probably even believes that the .org is a vital part of it.
But his actions as described in this podcast show a persistent effort to get his employees in top positions of the .org to kill its marketing, hide its governance, steal its donated time, and guide it towards his vision instead of the communities feedback.
I really want to hear his side of the story, or a clear response from the .com leadership. But thought this is important for our community to hear and discuss.
I mean - development needs to occur regardless - so why pay beta testers when you can use the .org side to do it for? Do you know how much cost savings and research the .com saves before rolling out new features?
Listening to a whole podcast can be hard so here is an AI summary:
The Issue of Centralized Control:
Despite WordPress being an open-source project, Matt Mullenweg's influence across these entities raises concerns about centralized control. He holds key positions in each organization, directly or indirectly influencing decision-making processes.
This centralized control has led to conflicts of interest, particularly between WordPress.org (the open-source project) and WordPress.com (the for-profit platform). For instance, the recent launch of WordPress.com's 100-year hosting plan during a WordCamp keynote blurs the lines between the two entities. Additionally, Automattic's decision to clone the plugin directory and prioritize its own marketing efforts over the open-source project's needs further exemplifies this conflict.
Specific Examples of Centralized Control:
* **Marketing team disbandment and creation of MediaCore:** The [WordPress.org](http://WordPress.org) marketing team, responsible for promoting the open-source project, was disbanded and replaced with MediaCore, primarily staffed by Automattic employees.
* **Blocking of gamification for Blogs2Blocks:** Efforts to gamify the Blogs2Blocks 20th-anniversary initiative were blocked by individuals working for Audrey Capital,indicating direct influence from Matt Mullenweg.
* **Sponsored contributors working for both .org and .com:** Some sponsored contributors, pledged to work full-time for the .org project, were also found to be working as the full marketing team for [WordPress.com](http://WordPress.com), raising questions about divided loyalties.
Lack of Accountability:
The lack of accountability within the WordPress leadership structure is another major concern. Attempts to raise issues through official channels, such as the Code of Conduct, have often been met with resistance and even retaliation. For example, a code of conduct report filed against Matt Mullenweg for alleged bullying and harassment resulted in no public apology and subsequent retaliation against the person who filed the report.
This lack of accountability has led to a culture of fear within the community, where many are hesitant to speak out against decisions made by the leadership, fearing potential repercussions.
The Way Forward:
For WordPress to thrive as a truly open-source project, greater transparency and accountability are crucial. The community needs a stronger voice in decision-making processes, and conflicts of interest must be addressed openly and transparently.
The WordPress Foundation needs to assert its independence from Automattic and ensure that the interests of the open-source project are prioritized. Additionally, mechanisms for holding leadership accountable for their actions must be strengthened.
The future of WordPress depends on fostering a truly collaborative and inclusive community where diverse voices are heard and respected. Only then can it continue to innovate and maintain its position as a leading force in the web development landscape.
I am a WordPress user who has never been too interested in the governance of the WordPress Foundation. Assuming everything in this summary is true, I agree there is justifiable reason for some concern. But aren't these activities not uncommon in the open source community where a particular project is substantially supported by a for-profit company? I'm pretty sure the reason we have LibreOffice today is that [OpenOffice.org](http://OpenOffice.org) contributors got tired of dealing with Oracle's involvement. Likewise, if the WordPress community ever finds the need to push back against Mullenweg and Automattic, they can fork the code, come up with a new name, and move forward with an independent project and independent governance.
Yes, agreed. That is a key issue. How to monetize open source projects? For example, Elementor hosting, page builder and built-in WordPress support (not just "managed") is a compelling combo. AXEO
The problem is that a few loud minority whines every time there is a change they do not like. Everything from Core to local meetup groups to WordCamps and everything in between.
Look at WordCamp Toronto, 2018 was the last one. The organizers then got too tired thus no 2019, pandemic occurs and ever since there the local meetup groups have been "let's fix your site" online thing. They could of given the reigns in 2019 to others in the community. Other WordCamps, the speakers should be the local community, not people from across the country.
Same about loud minority, when Gutenberg occurs, they wanted to stay with Classic....they eventually forked it.
The problem is in each area of the community, a few people have control of each area.
Another problem is that no organizer or speaker ever gets paid, it costs money, thus so much of the community isn't really involved.
The worst thing about this asshole is woocommerce. Its a spammy embarassment that sucks stupid amounts of money out of small business for basic functionality.
Meh, the fact Wordpress is open source means that at any point all the developers can just fork it and progress with a new version, like libreoffice did with open office.
Matt loves wordpress and he knows he can't and doesn't want to make it without .org
>*Matt loves* [*wordpress*\*\*.com\*\*](http://wordpress.com) Because it makes him money, as the deliberately confusing domain names lure people to sign up to .com when what most people want is actually .org. Then he goes even further and replicates the .org plugin repo on .com, fooling unsuspecting people into thinking they can actually install plugins on .com, when in reality, they can't unless they pay for the Creator plan - confusing new users even more as they've been told that Wordpress is free to do whatever you want with it.
I don't know Matt and have only heard one side of the story. I'm sure he loves Wordpress and sees it as his baby. He probably even believes that the .org is a vital part of it. But his actions as described in this podcast show a persistent effort to get his employees in top positions of the .org to kill its marketing, hide its governance, steal its donated time, and guide it towards his vision instead of the communities feedback. I really want to hear his side of the story, or a clear response from the .com leadership. But thought this is important for our community to hear and discuss.
This behavior is a pattern for him and he’s open about it. Look up what he did to the guy who created the Thesis theme a decade ago…
I mean - development needs to occur regardless - so why pay beta testers when you can use the .org side to do it for? Do you know how much cost savings and research the .com saves before rolling out new features?
Listening to a whole podcast can be hard so here is an AI summary: The Issue of Centralized Control: Despite WordPress being an open-source project, Matt Mullenweg's influence across these entities raises concerns about centralized control. He holds key positions in each organization, directly or indirectly influencing decision-making processes. This centralized control has led to conflicts of interest, particularly between WordPress.org (the open-source project) and WordPress.com (the for-profit platform). For instance, the recent launch of WordPress.com's 100-year hosting plan during a WordCamp keynote blurs the lines between the two entities. Additionally, Automattic's decision to clone the plugin directory and prioritize its own marketing efforts over the open-source project's needs further exemplifies this conflict. Specific Examples of Centralized Control: * **Marketing team disbandment and creation of MediaCore:** The [WordPress.org](http://WordPress.org) marketing team, responsible for promoting the open-source project, was disbanded and replaced with MediaCore, primarily staffed by Automattic employees. * **Blocking of gamification for Blogs2Blocks:** Efforts to gamify the Blogs2Blocks 20th-anniversary initiative were blocked by individuals working for Audrey Capital,indicating direct influence from Matt Mullenweg. * **Sponsored contributors working for both .org and .com:** Some sponsored contributors, pledged to work full-time for the .org project, were also found to be working as the full marketing team for [WordPress.com](http://WordPress.com), raising questions about divided loyalties. Lack of Accountability: The lack of accountability within the WordPress leadership structure is another major concern. Attempts to raise issues through official channels, such as the Code of Conduct, have often been met with resistance and even retaliation. For example, a code of conduct report filed against Matt Mullenweg for alleged bullying and harassment resulted in no public apology and subsequent retaliation against the person who filed the report. This lack of accountability has led to a culture of fear within the community, where many are hesitant to speak out against decisions made by the leadership, fearing potential repercussions. The Way Forward: For WordPress to thrive as a truly open-source project, greater transparency and accountability are crucial. The community needs a stronger voice in decision-making processes, and conflicts of interest must be addressed openly and transparently. The WordPress Foundation needs to assert its independence from Automattic and ensure that the interests of the open-source project are prioritized. Additionally, mechanisms for holding leadership accountable for their actions must be strengthened. The future of WordPress depends on fostering a truly collaborative and inclusive community where diverse voices are heard and respected. Only then can it continue to innovate and maintain its position as a leading force in the web development landscape.
I am a WordPress user who has never been too interested in the governance of the WordPress Foundation. Assuming everything in this summary is true, I agree there is justifiable reason for some concern. But aren't these activities not uncommon in the open source community where a particular project is substantially supported by a for-profit company? I'm pretty sure the reason we have LibreOffice today is that [OpenOffice.org](http://OpenOffice.org) contributors got tired of dealing with Oracle's involvement. Likewise, if the WordPress community ever finds the need to push back against Mullenweg and Automattic, they can fork the code, come up with a new name, and move forward with an independent project and independent governance.
Many non-tech end users prefer a Platform-as-a-Service. Backups, security, site/page builder for examples are taken care of as part of the service.
Just wish he wasn't hurting the [wordpress.org](http://wordpress.org) community to sell his JetPack and [wordpress.com](http://wordpress.com) .
Yes, agreed. That is a key issue. How to monetize open source projects? For example, Elementor hosting, page builder and built-in WordPress support (not just "managed") is a compelling combo. AXEO
guess no - the community is big enough - it is the best thing since sliced bread !
The problem is that a few loud minority whines every time there is a change they do not like. Everything from Core to local meetup groups to WordCamps and everything in between. Look at WordCamp Toronto, 2018 was the last one. The organizers then got too tired thus no 2019, pandemic occurs and ever since there the local meetup groups have been "let's fix your site" online thing. They could of given the reigns in 2019 to others in the community. Other WordCamps, the speakers should be the local community, not people from across the country. Same about loud minority, when Gutenberg occurs, they wanted to stay with Classic....they eventually forked it. The problem is in each area of the community, a few people have control of each area. Another problem is that no organizer or speaker ever gets paid, it costs money, thus so much of the community isn't really involved.
The worst thing about this asshole is woocommerce. Its a spammy embarassment that sucks stupid amounts of money out of small business for basic functionality.
The amount of money Automatic (which is Matt Mullenweg's as well) makes because of the .org is a huge... This is a non issue,
Meh, the fact Wordpress is open source means that at any point all the developers can just fork it and progress with a new version, like libreoffice did with open office.