Matt Mullenweg doubles down on leadership amid WordPress controversy
A hot potato: In a recent interview, Matt Mullenweg commented on the future of Automattic. Facing calls for him to step down, he said he would not resign. Mullenweg even doubled down, saying that when he retires, he will find a successor who shares his values and would run the company as he would.
Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, has called out WP Engine for benefiting from WordPress’s open-source model without contributing enough to the project. WP Engine, built on WordPress, argues it’s fully compliant with the GPL, which permits commercial use without requiring financial contributions.
During an interview with Lenny’s Podcast, Mullenweg reinforced his stance that open-source projects thrive when those who profit from them reinvest in their development. He also briefly discussed the future of WordPress and Automattic, emphasizing his preference for strong, centralized leadership rather than decision-making by committee.
“If or when I’m gone, I don’t want to pass it to a committee,” Mullenweg said. “I want to pass it to someone else who could have a role similar to mine, and really sort of try to be a steward.”
He also expressed the belief that CEOs should be deeply invested in their companies, ideally holding majority voting control. He compared his role to that of a mayor overseeing a city, emphasizing the need for a leader to be personally and directly involved in guiding the organization.
“There ultimately is a check and balance on [stewardship] because, again, the community could leave – they could fork the software, people could change…” he explained. “[The role is] a lot more like being a mayor than a CEO.”
His remarks come amid growing criticism of his handling of the WP Engine dispute. Some have accused Mullenweg of using undue influence to pressure WP Engine into paying for its use of WordPress, actions that critics argue contradict the spirit of free and open-source software (FOSS). WP Engine has maintained that it has no legal obligation to support WordPress financially and that any contributions to open-source projects should be voluntary rather than coerced. It contends that Mullenweg is doing more to hurt FOSS development.
The fallout has led to a class-action lawsuit against Automattic over accusations of unfair business practices around WordPress governance. There’s also an online petition calling for Mullenweg’s resignation, though it’s unclear how much support it’s actually getting. Even with all this pressure, Mullenweg has made it clear he’s not stepping down.
Industry experts are split on this. Some say WP Engine benefits from WordPress without giving back, which could hurt the platform’s future. Others think Mullenweg is pushing too hard for payments that the GPL doesn’t require. From a legal standpoint, WP Engine isn’t doing anything wrong, but the debate goes beyond legality. It’s about whether companies profiting from open-source software owe it to the community to contribute.
Mullenweg isn’t budging, and WP Engine isn’t backing down, leaving both sides locked in a standoff. It’s unclear whether legal action or community pressure will tip the scales, but the debate raises a bigger question: What do companies that profit from open-source software owe the projects they rely on?
