What's Going On?
Or, The Tides Are Getting Worse
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Wow, what a week huh?
Between all of the events happening in U.S. politics with the looming November election (which I won't be commenting on at this time) to the global conflicts happening on a minutely basis (Again, I'd rather not get canceled).
Instead, I want to draw attention to something which may seem minuscule, but could have a lasting impact throughout the Internet, and it has to do with WordPress.
My experience with WordPress began in 2020 when I was given a self-hosted instance. It is a fascinating program—a true sandbox that can be manipulated to whatever the wearer desires.
I suppose I enjoy WordPress enough to work at two different agencies on designing client websites; allowing me to expand my skillset further. It was because of WordPress that I harnessed a greater love of writing and technology. Which is exactly why I am planning to minor in Information Systems & Technology.
As you can see, it makes sense why I am interested in current news and the knowledge behind the industry and software. What is going on is more alarming.
Some background: WordPress is a fork of another software and was co-developed by Mike Little (who is no longer involved in the organization), and Matt Mullenweg, who, while making the system open-source on paper, established a private company (Automattic) and has developed a lot of projects and code for the software.
Have you ever heard of WordPress.com? Yeah, that's not actually WordPress. It's a locked-in version similar to a SIM lock on your phone preventing you from using text reactions. (Like how AT&T now has a lock on my phone because I updated to the iPhone 15 Pro, which I have zero regrets on at this time.)
Not only that, but Automattic has launched a bunch of other third-party plugins that improve the capabilities of self-hosted websites, like WooCommerce and Jetpack. The company has been extensive in its sphere of WordPress, but it's getting tighter and more concerning.
Matt, through Automattic, is slowly trying to tighten his control on the ecosystem and industry. He is doing this by making his company the only valid commercial licensee of the "WordPress" trademark. This may cause great damage to the industries propped up behind it, as companies would be forced to pay millions of dollars to use an open-source term.
For instance, I have a blog hosted on GMM Managed WordPress through Nexcess, which bills itself as a "Managed WordPress" solution. Under the new trademark guidelines, companies cannot use this phrase without paying Automattic a really nice fee. Essentially extorting the competitors and making Automattic the go-to shop for everything WordPress related.
Now, this is my personal opinion that should not be construed as fact, but he may regret making WordPress open-source at all, so he can't keep all the profits for himself and his company.
This can be seen even further by the fact that as of now, WP Engine, a major company that provides hosting to hundreds of thousands websites, is not able to access the core repository because of a petty issue that these site owners essentially have no control over.
Now, I am not defending private equity, as people have viewed that this could simply be two different massive firms battling it out. Instead, I am arguing that it is extremely dangerous for one corporation, and by extension, a single person, to have control over the software that is used by over a third of all websites.
This could be seen as akin to Google's monopoly of search. Which it very well is at this point. This defeats the point of WordPress being open-source at all. The only similar alternative I can think of is Chromium, a web browser project by Google that basically is the backbone of most other web browsers that aren't Google. (Safari and Firefox are the exceptions.) if Chromium goes under, then a massive black hole in the sector opens up, leaving only chaos in its wake.
What Are We To Do?
Great question.
This is an issue that may seem overly complex and beyond you or I. But there are some things one can do to at least try to make things better.
Firstly: Do not use WordPress.com or Jetpack, since you are just giving money for subpar products and giving your data to Matt. Who is happily selling it to 3rd-parties for AI usage.
If you want help with WordPress, don't look at any of the sites above. Go to other resources such as WP101 and WP Beginner. (Which, if the trademark goes through as per Automattic's plan, can't even have "WP" in their name!)
But more importantly, keep yourself in the know. If people didn't catch onto what happened, then Automattic may very well be able to continue tightening its grip and making WordPress more restrictive, which is the opposite of what "open-source" software is meant to be.
However, whispers are being said of a possible fork of WordPress that would consist of the core and modify it, with the open-source community truly coming together and not just one company running all of the shots. But I don't know how feasible that would be given the current status of WordPress' role on the internet.
But What if This Gets Worse?
Originally, I wanted to believe that everything would turn out fine. But obviously everything is not fine. As everyone seems to be waiting for the class action suit to turn up.
For one: this fiasco may damage WordPress’ reputation to the point where people may not want to have their websites run on the software. Instead opting for other solutions like Squarespace or Drupal.
Bloggers, such as I, may find that we need to go elsewhere to write and publish our thoughts. Something that Substack has shown has been able to be accomplished with considerable success.
But I don’t want to leave on the first train out at 9:30 in the morning. I’ve spent hundreds of hours over the past few years learning how to design with the software and being under the mentorships of accomplished designers. Me fleeing is not exactly the best end to the story.
So, now all I do is wait and watch, hoping that perhaps one day, everything will come down. The co-founder will get a really generous reward by the courts, and millions of websites and people do not have to worry about the online presence going under by the will of sheer pettiness and disgruntlement.
But I digress.
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