Automattic offered employees another chance to quit — this time with nine months' severance
Days after 159 people accepted Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg’s offer of a six-month severance package to employees who wanted to leave, the company
Days after 159 people accepted Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg’s offer of a six-month severance package to employees who wanted to leave, the company floated a new offer late on October 16 of a nine-month severance package to anybody who quit immediately. Employees had four hours to decide whether they wanted to take the deal.
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg Offers Buyout to Employees, Threatens to Banish Them from WordPress Community
In a shocking move, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has offered a buyout to employees who are not aligned with his views on the company's fight with hosting provider WP Engine. The offer, which was made in a Slack message seen by TechCrunch, comes with a stern warning: those who accept the offer will lose access not only to Automattic but also to WordPress.org, effectively banning them from the WordPress community.
The buyout offer is the latest development in a bitter feud between Automattic and WP Engine, which has been ongoing for nearly a month. The dispute started when Mullenweg called WP Engine "a cancer to WordPress" and accused the independent firm of not contributing enough to the WordPress open source project. Since then, the fight has escalated, with Automattic accusing WP Engine of violating trademarks, WP Engine filing a lawsuit, and WordPress.org blocking WP Engine's access and taking over a plug-in it had been maintaining.
The buyout offer is a significant departure from the usual approach to employee departures, and it's unclear how many employees have taken Mullenweg up on the offer. Automattic's headcount currently stands at 1,731, according to its website, but it's possible that some employees may have already left the company.
The buyout offer is not the first time Mullenweg has taken a hardline stance on the issue. Earlier this year, he published an internal post in which he threatened to involve "nice and not nice" lawyers to defend Automattic's trademarks. The post was seen as a warning to employees who were not aligned with his views on the issue.
The implications of the buyout offer are far-reaching, and it's unclear what the future holds for the WordPress community. The open source project is a critical part of the web development ecosystem, and the loss of key contributors could have significant consequences for the project's future.
The feud between Automattic and WP Engine is a complex and multifaceted one, with both sides accusing each other of wrongdoing. At its core, the dispute is about control and influence over the WordPress open source project.
Automattic, which is the company behind WordPress.com, is the largest contributor to the WordPress project, and Mullenweg has long been a dominant figure in the community. WP Engine, on the other hand, is an independent hosting provider that has built a reputation for its expertise in WordPress development.
The dispute started when Mullenweg accused WP Engine of not contributing enough to the WordPress project, and accused the company of being a "cancer" to the community. WP Engine responded by filing a lawsuit against Automattic, alleging that the company had violated its trademarks.
The dispute has also raised questions about the future of the WordPress community, and whether it will be able to maintain its independence and integrity in the face of increasing commercial pressure. The community has long been a bastion of open source values, and the dispute has raised concerns about whether those values will be able to withstand the pressure of commercial interests.
The future of the WordPress community will depend on the ability of its members to come together and find a way to resolve the dispute. The buyout offer and the ongoing feud between Automattic and WP Engine are a reminder of the importance of maintaining a positive and inclusive community, and the need for leaders to prioritize the values of openness and collaboration.
In the meantime, the WordPress community is left to wonder what the future holds for the project and its contributors. Will the dispute be resolved, or will it continue to escalate, threatening the very existence of the community? Only time will tell.
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