Business Roundup Week Ending November 1

Key Developments in the Ongoing Struggle Between WordPress & WP Engine

• WordCamp organizers were recently required by Automattic to share social media account logins to prevent access issues with event profiles, sparking concerns of community control and backlash, especially amid ongoing tensions between Automattic and WP Engine.
• Paid Memberships Pro announced its departure from the WordPress.org plugin repository, citing conflicts with WordPress leadership over guidelines and plugin control, and will now manage updates directly via its own server, raising concerns about the centralized control at WordPress.org.
• Additionally, PMP co-owner and CEO, Jason Coleman, claims he received a DM in the official WordPress.org Slack Workspace threatening to “take over your listing and make it a community plugin like we did to ACF.” The Repository independently verified that the Slack conversation did take place.
• Delicious Brains announced that they were the latest to be blocked from the WordPress.org Plugin Repository. They asked users to perform a one-time manual upgrade of their plugins in order to continue receiving updates to their more than a dozen popular plugins.
• Automattic has, reportedly, rejected a $200M acquisition offer. Half was to be paid in cash and half in stock of the buyer. Some speculate the rejection might mean that they plan to take the company public. This is one to watch.
• WP Engine outlined recent events highlighting efforts to ensure platform stability and security amidst escalating conflict with Automattic, including legal action, plugin management updates, and proactive solutions to counter access disruptions caused by Automattic’s alleged interference with WP Engine’s operations and community access.
• AspirePress has launched to build “a package mirror to freely distribute plugins and themes to WordPress users, no matter who or where they are.” More on X.
• The BBC reports on the ongoing saga in an article explaining why these events are making it increasingly difficult for solopreneurs and agencies to conduct business amidst uncertainty.

WordPress Community Divided Over WordPress Code of Conduct Changes

• The latest WordPress Community Code of Conduct revision focuses on private message confidentiality protection.
• Post Status Slack discussions triggered the update after screenshots were shared without permission.
• Community members have expressed concern over the timing of these revisions amid ongoing tensions with WP Engine.
• Former WordPress.org leaders question the lack of public discussion before implementing the changes and recent departures from the Incident Response Team raise questions about community stability.
• The update does include an exception allowing private messages to be shared when reporting incidents.
• Some community members want whistleblower protections added to the updated guidelines.
• It’s not a surprise that some contributors worry the code might be used as a tool for control rather than protection.
• Several prominent community members have left their positions citing mental health concerns.
• The Repository offers an unbiased voice to the discussion surrounding the new code of conduct. Take a look.

Worth a Look

• Want a fun weekend project? The Self-Hosted Dashboard project, Dashy, is just that. And on Monday, you’ll have a cool personal control center for your digital life.
• Woo will updated its logo for 2025. Take a look at the new design and join the conversation. And, in case you wonder, they are keeping their signature purple background.
• Looking for a way to make accessible colors easier? InclusiveColors.com is a new tool to help (but there is a bit of a learning curve).
• Maximize your SEO strategy with some great ideas on setting SMART Goals for your SEO Team from SearchEngineLand.
• Google Calendar is getting a refreshed user interface with new typefaces and more modern-looking controls. Including dark mode!