TL;DR: Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic, co-founder of WordPress, and single point of failure for WordPress.org is trying to bully me with legal threats over my commentary regarding his recent behavior.
On Tuesday I posted a couple tweets after a long hiatus on the app. I’d been informed that Matt had issued an invitation to employees who disagreed with his actions or direction over the last week (or more?) to leave Automattic. The invitation came with a severance package of a minimum of $30k USD or six months salary (whichever was more), healthcare until October 31, the ability to keep the company provided laptop, etc. The big caveat is that those who accept would become ineligible for rehire. I had also replied to a couple of other tweets with straightforward facts and an opinion.
To my surprise I found a DM from Matt when I woke. I should have known what was in store. In the six plus years I’d worked for him the only time I can remember getting an unsolicited ping from him was when he was unhappy.
Disclaimer for Matt and any armchair legal experts: This is not doxing.
Uh. No attacks detected mate.
Commentary: ✔️
Attacks: ❌
And then!
Uh oh… spicy Matt enters the chat!
My dude, you invited people to leave your employ. Even if I was looking to poach your people (which, pot... kettle… eesh) I feel like offering to pay them to leave might damage your case. Regardless, I’m retired. I’m not soliciting anything and my offer was clearly *if* someone takes it without something lined up. Which seems is most of them. Ouch.
Remember how he started off with “I’ve never been anything but nice to you, and we worked together for years.” Ladies… does this sound familiar? IYKYK.
Yes, Matt was often kind to me as well as many others. But he was also dismissive, demeaning, and demoralizing. To myself, to my team, and to my colleagues — we were all subject to his mercurial moods, whims, and rampages.
Honestly, my biggest regret is that I did not think to replace “retired” with being “post-economic” as he likes to describe his financial status thanks to his alleged $400MM net worth.
You might be asking yourself why I’m sharing this at all. I could probably list a dozen reasons but these are at the forefront:
- I am not a WP Engine (or PE in general) apologist. I believe they should contribute more to core, etc. However, what Matt has done, is doing, continues to do is antithetical to opensource, to his own stated goals to democratize publishing and to grow the use of WordPress. He has demonstrated time and again that when he does not get his way or has no leg to stand on he will default to subterfuge to achieve his goals.
- He has harmed the community that he is supposed to be leading. He is harming the ecosystem that he helped to build. He is harming the reputation of each of the 2000 (and dwindling) employees who have long been proud to call themselves Automatticians. He is harming his own legacy. Be more Jimmy Carter and less Elon Musk.
- Finally, and most importantly: Because I can and others feel unable to. Matt may not be a billionaire but we’ve all seen him go after people with his Smallest Man Who Ever Lived petty crown. Current Automatticians rely on him for their livelihoods. Former Automatticians who aren’t lucky enough to be “post-economic” know better than to openly critique him because they still need jobs and no one wants to risk losing a reference or being seen as denouncing their former boss, etc.
Yes, Matt could sue me and tie me up in court on some bogus complaint, but otherwise he can’t hurt me. Matt is blind to his privilege in so many ways and he wields his power irresponsibly. He has maintained iron clad control over Automattic, WordPress, and WordPress.org. How? By insisting on securing the proxy votes from investors. Investors — what on earth were you thinking? My hope for the sake of WordPress, the community, the health of the wider ecosystem, the employees of Automattic, and heck — even your own investment — is that you take action and hold Matt to account for his actions.