WP Engine Hits Automattic CEO With Penalty Payment Order
WP Engine’s lawyers have a letter of cessation and termination to Automattic after the latter’s CEO criticized the company for profiting from the WordPress project without giving anything back.
During his keynote speech at the WordCamp US Summit, Matt Mullenweg described WP Engine as a “cancer for WordPress” due to its abuse of the open source project.
Lawyers for WP Engine have now revealed that Mullenweg’s comments were in response to the CEO’s failed attempt to force WP Engine to pay Automattic millions for a license to the WordPress trademark in the run-up to his keynote.
“WP Engine today sent a cease and desist letter to Automattic, demanding that Automattic and its CEO Matt Mullenweg cease and desist from making false, damaging, and derogatory statements against WP Engine,” the company confirmed in a statement on X.
The company also responded to allegations that WP Engine has not contributed enough to the open source project. According to the company itself, tens of millions of dollars have been contributed through events, sponsorships and the development of educational resources.
The company alleged that Mullenweg planned to launch a “nuclear scorched earth” approach if WP Engine failed to hand over tens of millions. The company’s lawyers also uncovered a phone call between Automattic CFO Mark Davies and a WP Engine executive in which Davies claimed that Automattic was “going to war.”
The letter from WP Engine’s lawyers also includes excerpts from threatening emails Mullenweg sent days before the event, hinting at his “nuclear” approach.
WP Engine and its lawyers are now demanding that Mullenweg and Automattic “cease and desist from discrediting WP Engine and/or its investor by making false factual statements” and that they remove false statements from public channels.
Automattic has not yet issued an official response, but WP Engine warns in the letter of possible legal action if Mullenweg does not retract his statements. TechRadar Pro has reached out to Automattic for comment on the matter, but we did not receive an immediate response.
