Matt Mullenweg commented that the conflict he initiated could eventually lead to the closure of WordPress.org. He claimed that the only way to end the conflict was for WP Engine to drop their lawsuit, which would have the effect of enabling Mullenweg to resume his campaign to drive WP Engine out of business.
A WordPress user who over the past twelve years had published nearly 600 free WooCommerce tutorials and 500 newsletters tweeted a plea to Matt Mullenweg to reconsider the instability he has caused, saying that it was causing instability.
He tweeted:
“Dear
@photomatt,
We love WordPress. It’s not just software; it’s a livelihood for thousands of developers, freelancers, and small agencies. We don’t have millions like you do—every change, every piece of WPdrama costs us time, clients, and money.
We need stability. We need to focus on building, supporting, and growing businesses, not worrying about the next big upheaval or leadership conflict. Let’s move toward clarity, collaboration, and transparency.
Please consider pausing the current direction to listen. The community wants a strong future for WordPress—one where everyone, from volunteer contributors to top-level sponsors, can work together without fear of losing what we’ve built.
We don’t ask this lightly. Our livelihoods depend on it.
Thank you.”
Mullenweg Says Lawsuits Could Force Closure Of WordPress
Matt Mullenweg insisted that the conflict can only end if WP Engine drops their lawsuit which was filed in response to the conflict he initiated.
Mullenweg insisted that WP Engine must drop their lawsuit:
“Everything I’m doing is to defend the long term health of WordPress.
The lawsuits can only be dropped by WPE, as they initiated them.”
Mullenweg followed up with the following tweet:
“The lawsuits will go years and could potentially bankrupt me or force the closure of WordPress.org. It also takes a huge amount of time — there is no ‘lawyers work on that.’”
Mullenweg subsequently tweeted that the lawsuits could go on for up to two more years:
“The cases will stretch into 26 and 27, so it’s hard to say what the environment will be or the court will order.”
Mullenweg’s Response Was Not Reassuring
Mullenweg’s post, asserting that WP Engine’s defensive lawsuit could potentially shutter WordPress.org and drag on for multiple years, was not well-received. One travel blogger even asked rhetorically whether they should migrate to another CMS.