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A sizzling potato: In a latest interview, Matt Mullenweg commented on the way forward for Automattic. Dealing with requires him to step down, he mentioned he wouldn’t resign. Mullenweg even doubled down, saying that when he retires, he’ll discover a successor who shares his values and would run the corporate as he would.
Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, has known as out WP Engine for benefiting from WordPress’s open-source mannequin with out contributing sufficient to the venture. WP Engine, constructed on WordPress, argues it is totally compliant with the GPL, which allows industrial use with out requiring monetary contributions.
Throughout an interview with Lenny’s Podcast, Mullenweg strengthened his stance that open-source initiatives thrive when those that revenue from them reinvest of their improvement. He additionally briefly mentioned the way forward for WordPress and Automattic, emphasizing his choice for sturdy, centralized management relatively than decision-making by committee.
“If or after I’m gone, I do not wish to cross it to a committee,” Mullenweg mentioned. “I wish to cross it to another person who might have a job just like mine, and actually form of attempt to be a steward.”
He additionally expressed the assumption that CEOs needs to be deeply invested of their corporations, ideally holding majority voting management. He in contrast his position to that of a mayor overseeing a metropolis, emphasizing the necessity for a pacesetter to be personally and instantly concerned in guiding the group.
“There in the end is a verify and stability on [stewardship] as a result of, once more, the neighborhood might depart – they may fork the software program, individuals might change…” he defined. “[The role is] much more like being a mayor than a CEO.”
His remarks come amid rising criticism of his dealing with of the WP Engine dispute. Some have accused Mullenweg of utilizing 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 program (FOSS). WP Engine has maintained that it has no authorized obligation to help WordPress financially and that any contributions to open-source initiatives needs to be voluntary relatively than coerced. It contends that Mullenweg is doing extra to harm FOSS improvement.
The fallout has led to a class-action lawsuit in opposition to Automattic over accusations of unfair enterprise practices round WordPress governance. There’s additionally a web based petition calling for Mullenweg’s resignation, although it is unclear how a lot help it is truly getting. Even with all this strain, Mullenweg has made it clear he isn’t stepping down.
Trade consultants are cut up on this. Some say WP Engine advantages from WordPress with out giving again, which might damage the platform’s future. Others assume Mullenweg is pushing too onerous for funds that the GPL does not require. From a authorized standpoint, WP Engine is not doing something incorrect, however the debate goes past legality. It is about whether or not corporations cashing in on open-source software program owe it to the neighborhood to contribute.
Mullenweg is not budging, and WP Engine is not backing down, leaving either side locked in a standoff. It is unclear whether or not authorized motion or neighborhood strain will tip the scales, however the debate raises a much bigger query: What do corporations that revenue from open-source software program owe the initiatives they depend on?
