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WP Engine is definitely using the open source to make money, and is a big competitor to wordpress, but Matt is going scorched earth in a way that seems both embarrassing and ineffective.

It would be better if WP Engine contributed more to the open source project that they make so much money from, but it's not illegal or immoral. Maybe Amoral at worse?



If profiting off of open source without contributing back substantially is amoral, there's such a long list of companies (to say nothing of developers with upper middle-class incomes) who are similarly guilty.


It's really weird for matt to say they don't contribute while simultaneously taking over one of the most popular plug-ins that they contributed.


And blocking core contributors with their stupid “Affiliated Checkbox”.

Unfortunately outright lying and saying that “I personally don’t think they voluntarily contribute enough” is “contributes nothing” seems to have been partially successful in seeding the idea.


My understanding is that they bought ACF in 2022 - this article from 2021 doesn't mention them at all. https://www.advancedcustomfields.com/blog/10-years-of-acf-a-...

Your overall point is still valid though - they were for example sponsors of the very conference where mm first went berserk.


I don't think it really matters whether they paid for it with with cash or labor.




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