Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf] • Hacker News Board

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#581

Post by Loudergood » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:04 PM UTC

chiefalchemist wrote: post #436

safety1st wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whatever else may be going on, your observations contain errors. Automattic has been on an insane revenue growth tear for years. WordPress install growth out in the wild has been flat for two years but not ticked down, when 43% of the Internet runs your software there are probably a lot of reasons it's hard to grow that number. In general, companies in this vertical are not really hurting. https://getlatka.com/compan…

"Insane" revenue growth in the past . The question is: What's going on in Matt's head? What does he see in the future? Truth: Belief drives behavior. To go nuclear as MM did, what is he believing? What is his future like? But you picked a good word: insane. So yeah, we're on the same page. The difference is direction. Past v future.

Considering he's gone nuclear for dumber reasons in the past(see Tumblr) what he sees and reality are probably far different.

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#582

Post by pwillia7 » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:04 PM UTC

legitster wrote: post #555

alberth wrote: post #548

Can someone ELI5 this whole topic? Is the crux of the issue that WPE website use to say things like: "Start creating on WordPress today" or "Power your creativity on the #1 platform for WordPress" Which might have implied that WPE was official Wordpress? https://web.archive.org/web/20220105010059/https://wpengine.... --- In comparison to other companies like Pressable that simply use marketing copy like: "WordPress H…

The ELI5 of why this is so complicated is what everyone thought was "Wordpress" was actually a cluster of shady self-serving business dealings by Matt Mullenweg. The Wordpress Foundation does not actually own the name "Wordpress". The name is essentially owned by Matt Mullenweg and he licenses it out to the Foundation and other organizations which he approves of. Matt Mullenweg was personally displeased with certain…

Do individuals/nonprofits have different rules in the Sherman act?

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#583

Post by Loudergood » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:06 PM UTC

fhfhfhjfnfnfmf wrote: post #498

zackerist wrote: post #404

This is a strong blow to WordPress, but we'll survive. When corporate interests go after the inventors, whatever the outcome, whoever wins, we'll all be left with a scar at the end. Matt has the longest-term vision among all the parties involved. WordPress is his brainchild and his life's duty to defend it. It's oblivious to think that this guy went after WPE for a few extra dollars. He knew going in that this would…

He’s neglecting his child to have a fight with his neighbour.

Not just neglecting the child, but using it as a weapon.

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#584

Post by dewey » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:08 PM UTC

hoofhearted wrote: post #545

safety1st wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Disabling revisions is a configuration change. This is the simplest possible change you could make, and it’s unacceptable in his eyes. Actually this is wrong. Yes the constant WP_POST_REVISIONS exists. But WP Engine has disabled this constant. They do in fact "butcher" WordPress in the sense that they remove a feature, you can't turn it back on by yourself, and you need to talk to their support to get a limited ver…

Are you able to name of the publishers that you say run massive WP installs? I do know they exist of course, Sony being one. I’m coding up a little something that I feel is more modern and superior compared to WP, and I’d like to learn what their business requirements and use cases are that keep them on WP. Thanks in advance!

I don't want to discourage you...but there's so many WP alternatives out there that are supported by bigger companies, have a big ecosystem around them with agencies and developers for many years. Why would massive WP installs switch to "a little something"?

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#585

Post by partiallypro » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:08 PM UTC

luckylion wrote: post #405

fhfhfhjfnfnfmf wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You’re welcome to your opinion, but my company is in the market for a large enterprise CMS management contract, and this situation has taken every WordPress option off the table due to uncertainty about the business and technical stability of the ecosystem. I highly doubt we’re the only ones feeling that way.

If you were considering Wordpress for a "large enterprise CMS", you shouldn't be making those kinds of decisions.

Can you explain your reasoning? Wordpress is pretty scalable, if done right. Even Microsoft uses Wordpress in some of its microsites. I know some of the new federal government sites even use it (for instance whitehouse.gov as part of the USDS project). It's highly supported and has been tested vigorously for decades now. It can at least be considered for various projects, even large ones.

Sometimes you don't need a complex solution for various projects, this thought process reminds me of people building highly scalable configurations for projects that just don't need it then overrunning in costs and overengineering it all.

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#586

Post by legitster » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:10 PM UTC

pwillia7 wrote: post #582

legitster wrote: post #555

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ELI5 of why this is so complicated is what everyone thought was "Wordpress" was actually a cluster of shady self-serving business dealings by Matt Mullenweg. The Wordpress Foundation does not actually own the name "Wordpress". The name is essentially owned by Matt Mullenweg and he licenses it out to the Foundation and other organizations which he approves of. Matt Mullenweg was personally displeased with certain…

Do individuals/nonprofits have different rules in the Sherman act?

I am not sure what the Sherman act has to do with it.

The more pressing problems for Mullenweg is that he is directly extorting another company, and potentially using his Wordpress non-profit organizations as a tax-fraud scheme.

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#587

Post by ceejayoz » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:13 PM UTC

camgunz wrote: post #513

tky wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I said no such thing.

It's hard for me to believe your idea of a racket is pressuring a single business. You can't have it both ways.

Doesn't every protection racket start with a first victim/customer?

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#588

Post by kotaKat » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:14 PM UTC

cjbprime wrote: post #561

kotaKat wrote: post #456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Matt, you equally have some pretty bad if not toxic behavior. You need to do a lot of growing up, and fast, because this isn't fucking Tumblr, dude.

Though amusingly, you are writing to the person who owns Tumblr.

Of course -- and he should keep his temper tantrums to his poor behavior on that platform (like he's done in the past), because it's obvious he can't handle being grown up and handling Wordpress.

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#589

Post by Atotalnoob » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:17 PM UTC

chuckadams wrote: post #566

photomatt wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes this is part of their smear campaign, just like their last C&D. They're cherry-picking stuff to try and make me look bad, while not addressing the core issue of their trademark violations. They want me to stop telling their customers about their bad behavior.

Tempted to upvote this just to keep it from disappearing out of evidence.

Yeah opposing council is popping popcorn, none of these posts will disappear.

Re: Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]

#590

Post by esskay » Thu, Oct 03, 2024, 5:17 PM UTC

photomatt wrote: post #57

Howdy, Matthew Charles Mullenweg from the lawsuit here. One thing I'm surprised they disclosed is on page 35 that Heather Brunner at WP Engine was interviewing for a job at Automattic. That's why we were spending so much time together 1:1 without her team there in the meetings I posted here: https://automattic.com/2024/10/01/wpe-terms/ They lied that it was to run WordPress.com, though, she wanted to be the Executive…

Matt, with the greatest of respect - shut up, and get off the internet until this is over. You just keep digging the hole and making things worse for yourself.

In this instance, you are not the smartest guy in the room, and anything you say is just going to make the outcome of this whole saga that much more painful.

If I were in your position I'd be very carefully trying to figure out what the next step is, especially given whats going to come out about the Wordpress foundation's commercial licensing agreement with Automattic. That alone should be an exctremely worrying position for you personally, assuming your legal team have pointed out the issues on an international scale that you're about to be hit with.