AA WordPress developer pleaded with Matt Mullenweg at WordCamp Asia 2025, asking him to revive Automattic’s contributions to the WordPress core. Mullenweg apologized and mentioned it’s lower than him; it’s as much as WP Engine to drop their lawsuit, and he inspired the group to place strain on WP Engine.
Automattic’s Scaled-Again WordPress Contributions
Automattic introduced in January 2025 that they have been scaling again contributions to the WordPress core to these associated to safety and demanding updates. Contributions that might in any other case had gone to core could be diverted to for-profit initiatives associated to Automattic and WordPress.com.
Automattic attributed its January 2025 resolution to WP Engine’s lawsuits:
“We’ve made the choice to reallocate assets because of the lawsuits from WP Engine. This authorized motion diverts important time and vitality that might in any other case be directed towards supporting WordPress’s development and well being. We stay hopeful that WP Engine will rethink this authorized assault, permitting us to refocus our efforts on contributions that profit the broader WordPress ecosystem.”
WP Engine’s lawsuits, nonetheless, have been a response to Matt Mullenweg’s WordCamp USA 2024 statements and likewise actions towards WP Engine (just like the WP Engine Tracker web site) . A federal choose has since sided with WP Engine and granted its request for a preliminary injunction towards Automattic and Mullenweg.
WordCamp Attendee Urges Mullenweg To Reinstate Core Contributions
A WordCamp Asia 2024 attendee stepped up throughout the Q&A portion of the convention and shared his issues, as a enterprise proprietor and a plugin developer, for the stagnation of WordPress core improvement.
He mentioned:
“Hello Matt. So this isn’t a few query, however I’m a bit involved about like if I see that the final 5 years and even ten years Automattic is the most important core contributor within the code base and all the pieces. So it’s not truly largest, perhaps 60%, 70% of the commit… as an organization, Automattic do this.
So you latterly printed in a weblog submit that you’re pulling out all of the contribution and all the pieces. In order a developer, as a enterprise proprietor, …my entire enterprise will depend on WordPress. We construct WordPress plugins, I feel if there is no such thing as a Automattic within the core contribution, the entire improvement will probably be tremendous sluggish.
I need to request you to rethink that, and at the very least within the core improvement perhaps you can also make some adjustments, give extra assets within the core. As a result of it’s difficult, …somebody must work and I feel Automattic has a number of assets, skilled folks in there, so I need to request you to rethink your place and provides extra builders to the core.”
Matt Mullenweg States Situation For Restoring Core Contributions
Mullenweg responded that Automattic’s spending tens of millions of {dollars} to defend itself towards WP Engine. He insisted that the choice to revive Automattic’s core contributions hinges on WP Engine dropping their lawsuits and inspired the particular person to ask WP Engine.
Mullenweg answered:
“Yeah, thanks. Effectively, it’s undoubtedly not a scenario I need to be in. As we mentioned, we’re pausing issues. However very, very excited to return to having all these hundred-ish people again doing a few of the work we have been doing earlier than.
However proper now we’re dealing with not only a maker and taker program drawback… however maker-attacker. So nicely Automattic’s having to spend tens of millions of {dollars}, per 30 days generally, to defend towards these assaults from WP Engine and with the courtroom injunction, it’s simply exhausting to be each be motivated and to only spare the assets to contribute a lot.
Now, they may finish it tomorrow. And I might like to welcome WP Engine again into the fold, again at WordCamp and all the pieces. However we are able to’t finish it, we are able to solely defend it, , to all of the authorized assaults and they’re rising truly. And so they’re coming after me personally too. As quickly as they cease that, we’ll get again to it.
So please, I can’t cease it. Ask them.”
Mullenweg Asks Viewers To Stress WP Engine To Drop Lawsuit
The particular person asking the query mentioned he understood Mullenweg’s place however insisted that, as an finish person, he needs the software program to proceed to thrive. For that motive, he pleaded for Automattic to discover a method to restore core contributions.
Mullenweg answered the builders second plea and requested the viewers to strain WP Engine to drop the lawsuit:
“I can’t till the lawsuit is over. So if there’s something y’all can do to place strain for the lawsuit to finish, that might be the quickest factor to get our contributions again.”
He ended his response with a smile, saying:
“So… sorry about that.”
Concern Over Cuts To Core Contribution
The WordPress developer expressed deep concern and anxiousness in regards to the tempo of WordPress core improvement. He emphasised that Automattic has traditionally supplied a good portion of core contributions and feared that with out its help, WordPress improvement would sluggish considerably, impacting his enterprise and people of others who depend on the platform.
Matt Mullenweg’s response didn’t immediately handle the WordPress developer’s plea to rethink Automattic’s core contribution cuts. His reply framed the choice to revive core contributions as out of his management as a result of it’s depending on WP Engine dropping its lawsuit. He said that the lawsuit prices Automattic tens of millions of {dollars}.
Mullenweg’s details in his response to restoring Automattic’s core contributions have been:
- Automattic’s lowered contributions outcome from the monetary and authorized burden of defending towards WP Engine’s lawsuit.
- WP Engine’s authorized actions make it tough for Automattic to contribute at earlier ranges.
- He urged the viewers to strain WP Engine to drop the lawsuit.