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WordPress.org escalates WP Engine conflict with login checkbox requirement

The WordPress login page.

The ban on WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org escalated further this week with the introduction of a new checkbox requiring anyone logging in to confirm they are not affiliated with the hosting company. It’s also dragged WordPress.org users and contributors into WP Engine’s conflict with Automattic and its CEO, Matt Mullenweg. The WordPress.org login page…

The ban on WP Engine’s access to WordPress.org escalated further this week with the introduction of a new checkbox requiring anyone logging in to confirm they are not affiliated with the hosting company. It’s also dragged WordPress.org users and contributors into WP Engine’s conflict with Automattic and its CEO, Matt Mullenweg.

The WordPress.org login page now asks users to check a box agreeing to the statement, “I am not affiliated with WP Engine in any way, financially or otherwise.” Those who don’t check the box are unable to log into the site.

On Wednesday, the login page briefly included a link to WP Engine’s announcement on X that the company had filed a lawsuit against Automattic and Mullenweg, but was soon removed.

Soon after the login changes went live, Mullenweg posted in Making WordPress Slack: “Question for the community: What actions should WP Engine do for WordPress.org to remove the new login checkbox?”

The checkbox has alarmed users and contributors, raising concerns about the potential legal ramifications of logging into WordPress.org if they use, recommend, resell, or contribute to WP Engine’s products or services.

Core committer Colin Stewart asked for clarification on what “affiliation” with WP Engine means, kicking off a thread that—as of Friday—has had over 200 replies, though some have been deleted.

Mullenweg confirmed that the checkbox was part of the WordPress.org ban on WP Engine and said to Stewart, “It’s up to you whether to check the box or not. I can’t answer this for you”. 

In response to a comment from WordCamp Europe 2025 organizer Patricia Brun Torre about the inability of non-sponsored contributors to afford legal representation, Mullenweg replied, “WP Engine’s lawsuit has put everyone who participates in .org in the position of possibly needing legal representation.”

“I want you all to be informed and involved. Not to stay on the sidelines,” Mullenweg also posted.

The discussion spilled over into X, where WordPress.org posted that anyone seeking clarification should contact WP Engine. The hosting company posted that its customers, agencies, users and the community as a whole are not affiliates of WP Engine.

Contributors banned and others step back

The checkbox has been the straw that broke the camel’s back for some long-time contributors.

Core contributor Andy Fragen, known for taking on complicated core features like the recent addition of plugin rollbacks to WordPress 6.6, said he was putting his contributions on hiatus, posting in Making WordPress Slack, “… at this point it’s not WPE I’m worried about dragging me into a lawsuit, it’s Matt.” 

Andrey “Rarst” Savchenko, who was the first person to contribute an essay to HeroPress, posted on X that he no longer wants to maintain the Date/Time component in WordPress core.

Megan Rose, Codeable’s Head of Community, is leaving the WordPress Incident Response Team. “The constant worry about the stability of the project and never-ending influx of WordPress-related news has contributed to worsening anxiety symptoms for me and it’s no longer worth it,” she posted on her blog,

The checkbox has also created confusion for WordCamp Sydney organizers, as WP Engine is sponsoring next month’s event. Organizer Wil Brown posted in WPAustralia Slack that he had asked his fellow organizers not to log into the event site pending clarification from WordCamp Central.

Developer Tim Nolte has asked for his three plugins in the WordPress.org repository to be removed, posting in Slack, “For the safety of all I don’t want anyone to be able to install a plugin that I am no longer allowed to maintain or support on the repository.”

Agency owner Michael Willman cheekily posted in Slack that he “willfully” checked the box and logged into WordPress.org despite receiving affiliate payments from WP Engine. Sharing his postal address, Willman said to Mullenweg, “I just wanted to send over my legal details so you know where to send any demand letters or lawsuits.”

WordPress REST API creator banned

Several people have also been banned from WordPress.org and Making WordPress Slack this week. The most shocking is long-time core committer Ryan McCue, who created the WordPress REST API, a project that was instrumental in enabling WordPress to be used in custom and enterprise applications.

In recent weeks, McCue has shared his thoughts on the conflict between WP Engine and Automattic, sharing his thoughts on the legal arguments in WP Engine Must Win and the moral arguments in A Stronger Foundation for the Ecosystem.

Morten Rand-Hendriksen, a Senior Staff Instructor at LinkedIn Learning, was also banned this week. In 2018, Rand-Hendriksen co-founded the WordPress Governance Project, a community initiative launched at WordCamp Europe 2018 that wasn’t officially supported by WordPress leadership and was eventually abandoned.

Other contributors who’ve been banned include WordPress Hosting Team co-rep Javier Casares and Andrew Hutchings, Chief Contributions Officer at the MariaDB Foundation.

Creating a culture of fear

In a post on his blog, WordPress commentator James Giroux sought to explain why Mullenweg is turning up the volume on his attacks against WP Engine. Distancing himself from his employer, WordPress VIP, Giroux said the community had “collectively taken for granted” just how much Mullenweg has personally contributed to the ecosystem.

“We’ve taken free access to security audits, free access to one-click updates, free distribution, the project’s infrastructure, and free access to communication tools for granted,” Giroux said. 

“Every single one of these things has a very real cost, whether that is in fees paid or humans involved in managing and coordinating. What we are seeing is the actual systems and infrastructure of WordPress laid bare. We’re all getting a reminder of just how much it takes to keep WordPress going.

“Matt is well within his rights as the principal financier of the infrastructure around WordPress to decide who can and cannot access it. He’s usually quite permissive of many things and extends a lot of grace. In this fight for the heart and soul of WordPress, though, he is not holding his punches.”

But what many in the community are trying to understand is why Mullenweg is antagonizing users and contributors, including those who support his argument that WP Engine should contribute more and have themselves given back to the WordPress project over many years.

One long-time and prominent contributor speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Repository that Mullenweg had “created a culture of fear.”

“Matt is attacking and bullying community members. He is breaking the WordPress code of conduct by retaliating against people who are speaking out against him,” they said.

“I am an outspoken person but speaking up could impact my business and employees if Matt takes retaliation on us. I feel silenced. Many people are afraid of the repercussions so are keeping their heads down.”

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