The recent clash between WordPress.com and WP Engine has sparked a lot of discussions in the tech community, but for me, the most concerning aspect is how this conflict undermines the principles of open-source software.
At its core, open-source is meant to be a collaborative and inclusive ecosystem, where anyone—individuals, companies, or organizations—can freely contribute, build, and innovate. That’s the beauty of it: no matter your size or resources, the code is available to you, and you can build upon it to create something meaningful. The decision by WordPress.com to block WP Engine from accessing its open-source resources shakes this foundation.
Let’s take a step back. WordPress itself owes much of its success to open-source values. It’s a product of the community, built by countless developers over the years, and made freely available for anyone to use and modify. WP Engine, as a managed WordPress hosting provider, has been part of that ecosystem, helping users deploy WordPress sites easily and reliably.
The dispute, as far as we know, centers around WP Engine allegedly violating terms related to how it accesses WordPress’s resources, particularly via API and automated testing. WordPress.com responded by cutting off WP Engine’s access to these tools, sparking concerns over the future relationship between these two entities. While there are likely contractual and business reasons behind this, the broader issue is what this means for the open-source community at large.
Blocking a major player like WP Engine from accessing open-source tools sets a dangerous precedent. It raises the question: if a company as established as WP Engine can be restricted from using open-source resources, what’s stopping others from facing the same treatment? Shouldn’t open-source remain open to all, regardless of who or what they are?
I strongly believe that open-source software should not and must not restrict access based on company, ethnicity, or any other group identity. Open-source is meant to be a level playing field where everyone can participate. The moment we start imposing selective restrictions, we chip away at the fundamental ethos of the open-source movement.
This is why I find the current conflict so concerning. Open-source projects, by their very nature, thrive on inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility. Limiting access, especially to a company that has been part of the WordPress ecosystem, feels like a betrayal of those principles. It risks creating an environment where open-source is no longer open, but controlled by gatekeepers who decide who gets to use what based on internal business disputes.
In response to this situation, I’ve decided to create a WordPress site of my own via my hosting provider. Now, I’m not generally a fan of content management systems—WordPress included—but this incident pushed me to take a closer look. My personal website is hand-coded in HTML with a few custom tools because I enjoy the control and simplicity it offers. However, I wanted to see for myself what WordPress could do and to better understand the platform’s complexities as it navigates this drama.
In the end, what makes open-source great is its openness. Once we start limiting access, we risk fragmenting the community and eroding the collaborative nature that has driven projects like WordPress to success. The conflict between WordPress.com and WP Engine is about more than just business—it’s about protecting the future of open-source.
Let’s not lose sight of that.