In the latest round of Matt vs. WPE, a checkbox was added to the WordPress.org login page requiring users to attest that “I am not affiliated with WP Engine in any way, financially or otherwise.”
What does “affiliation” mean? It’s not defined, and this creates a real issue for us as agency owners, the common people of WordPress.
My first thought is that “affiliated” means I’m getting paid by WPE. Okay, but then what does “otherwise” mean?
Sometimes I use Local as a dev environment, I have a license for ACF, and I use Delicious Brains software occasionally. Am I affiliated?
Can I attend an online or in-person event sponsored by WPE?
What if I work with clients who host on WPE and I need developer access to their sites? Does that count?
Do I have to say no to working with potential clients who host on WPE?
An attestation like this one is a serious thing to consider given the dynamic and unpredictable nature of the current conflict. Some clarity would be helpful, and it’s nowhere to be found.
So tell me… have we really reached a place where I have to ask a lawyer before I can log into WordPress.org?
U.S. Agency Owners… Have You Completed Your BOI Report?
If you just asked, “What’s a BOI report?” you’d better pay attention.
Announced back in February, many solopreneurs and agencies are only now becoming aware of this requirement, part of the Corporate Transparency Act to help combat financial crimes.
Thankfully, filing is simple (I completed it in just a few minutes), requiring answers to basic questions and uploading a photo ID.
If you weren’t aware of the requirement for filing the BOI, your clients may not be either. This could be a good opportunity to reach out to them with a helpful nudge.
If you serve nonprofits, most of them are probably exempt from the requirement.
1 thought on “Business Roundup Week Ending October 11”
To add another one to the affiliation question, what if you are assisting WP Engine to fix a vulnerability in one of their plugins?
It appears that this is more of Matt Mullenweg trying to force people to pick a side between him and WP Engine. One of Automattic’s employee said as much in a post that came out around the same time the checkbox was added. Doing this doesn’t help the community and likely increases Matt Mullenweg’s legal trouble.
To add another one to the affiliation question, what if you are assisting WP Engine to fix a vulnerability in one of their plugins?
It appears that this is more of Matt Mullenweg trying to force people to pick a side between him and WP Engine. One of Automattic’s employee said as much in a post that came out around the same time the checkbox was added. Doing this doesn’t help the community and likely increases Matt Mullenweg’s legal trouble.