Matt Mullenweg deactivates WordPress accounts of contributors planning a fork (techcrunch.com)

Article summary

Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic and co-creator of WordPress, has announced that he will deactivate the WordPress.org accounts of several community members, including Joost de Valk and Karim Marucchi, who he claims are planning to create a fork of the open-source project. However, de Valk and Marucchi have denied plans to fork WordPress, instead discussing the creation of federated repositories for themes and plugins. The move has sparked controversy within the WordPress community, with some defending Mullenweg's actions and others criticizing them as an overreach of power. The dispute is part of a larger debate over the governance and future of the WordPress project.

Main themes

• WordPress governance
• Open-source licensing
• Community conflict
• Forking and mirrors
• Project leadership

What commenters say

• Mullenweg's actions are justified as he has dedicated his life to building WordPress and deserves to protect his creation.
• The deactivation of accounts is an overreach of power and undermines the open-source spirit of the WordPress project.
• The GPL license allows for forking and modification, and Mullenweg's attempts to prevent this are misguided.
• The controversy highlights the need for clearer governance and decision-making processes within the WordPress community.
• Mullenweg's behavior is seen as autocratic and damaging to the WordPress brand and community.
• The creation of a fork or mirror of WordPress could potentially lead to innovation and improvements, but also risks fragmenting the community.
• The dispute is driven by commercial interests and a desire to control the direction and profits of the WordPress project.
• The open-source nature of WordPress means that contributors should be free to modify and distribute the code as they see fit, without interference from Mullenweg or Automattic.