Mullenweg on WordPress Growth

WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg recently shared his thoughts on how to inspire companies to act responsibly within the community.
During WordCamp Canada, Mullenweg was asked how individuals and agencies could help protect the WordPress ecosystem from those who act against its core values. His response highlighted his ongoing legal struggles, which he described as limiting his ability to speak freely, while urging the community to make conscious choices about who they support financially.

Question About Protecting WordPress Against Bad Actors
The person posing the question raised two main points of concern:
How can individuals and agencies safeguard WordPress’s core community values from those driven purely by profit or self-interest?

Should there be a recognised certification system to highlight ethical contributors and agencies within the WordPress ecosystem?

Their question reflected the growing divide within the WordPress community — between those who support Mullenweg in his conflict with WP Engine and those who view the ongoing dispute unfavourably.
They asked:
“WordPress has always thrived on its open, community-led spirit, but as it expands, we’re seeing more large, profit-focused players who may not share those same values. How can individual contributors and agencies like ours help protect WordPress and uphold the ethics that have sustained it from those who might exploit the community?
And do you think there’s potential for a more formal system, like certification for ethical individuals and agencies, to help educate clients and proactively protect the community from bad actors?”
This question suggests a perceived division in the WordPress space — with one side seen as ethical supporters of the platform’s principles and the other viewed as profit-driven participants.

No Bad Actors
Matt Mullenweg began his response by saying that he doesn’t believe in labelling anyone as a “bad actor.”
He explained:
“So first, I’ll say, I don’t want to say there are bad actors. I think there can be bad actions sometimes, or people who temporarily act in the wrong way but can improve over time. Every saint has a past, every sinner has a future. I never want to define any company or person as permanently good or bad. Let’s talk about actions instead.”
This was an interesting way to begin, given that Mullenweg himself used the term “bad actors” during his speech at last year’s WordCamp USA, where he openly criticised WP Engine.
At that time, he said:
“I think we also just need to call out bad actors. The only way to deal with a bully is to stand up to them. If you let them keep running wild, they’ll just continue to harm everyone.”
Following that event, he went on to publish a blog post describing WP Engine as a “cancer to WordPress.” His previous remarks, available around the 33:48 mark of the WordCamp recording, contrast strongly with his more cautious tone this time.
Encouraging Positive Behaviour
After clarifying his stance, Mullenweg shifted the discussion towards how companies can be encouraged to contribute positively to the WordPress community. He talked about finding ways to motivate firms to support the ecosystem, comply with the GPL, and respect the WordPress trademark. He also urged the community to “vote with their wallets,” supporting companies that uphold these values and avoiding those that don’t.
He elaborated:
“With these actions, we can create incentive systems. That’s part of what we’re doing with Five for the Future, which encourages companies to contribute back — and implies they’re respecting the GPL. If someone violates the GPL or trademark, they’ll get a formal notice, but we can also promote positive actions, such as ranking supportive companies higher in directories or showcases. And finally, I’ll say this — vote with your wallet.”
From there, Mullenweg moved on to discuss the idea of “commercially motivating” companies to behave ethically, subtly referencing WP Engine without naming it directly.
He continued:
“Each of you can influence these companies. If they’re commercially motivated, that’s fine — let’s use that to encourage them to do the right thing. Support the good ones, and give less business to the others.
There’s actually been progress over the past year. A site called WordPressEngineTracker.com has been monitoring sites that have moved from a certain hosting provider. Nearly 100,000 sites have switched, and over 74,000 have gone offline since last September.
We used to make this data public, but a court order required us to take down the detailed list. That was supposedly to allow for fact-checking by the press, but it ended up silencing transparency. We’re still allowed to keep the site live, so have a look while it’s up.”
Spending as a Moral Statement
Mullenweg’s comments positioned financial choices as a way for the community to express its values. By urging users to “commercially motivate” ethical companies, he suggested that consumer spending could serve as a form of moral accountability. This message appeared to indirectly target WP Engine and other companies he believes act against the spirit of the community.
He also presented himself as being restricted by the court order, portraying it as an attempt to suppress his free speech. However, the order merely required him and Automattic to stop publishing WP Engine’s customer data.
Throughout his response, Mullenweg framed the conflict in moral and even religious terms, referencing “sinners” and “saints.” While WordPress is both a business and a community, these comparisons were unusual. They blurred the line between cultural responsibility and moral obligation — suggesting a tone that leaned more towards ideology than business ethics.