A few weeks ago, Automattic, amid its ongoing “nuclear war” against WP Engine, launched a new website called WP Engine Tracker. The new site’s main objective is to lure away as many customers as possible from WP Engine hosting platform, which previously refused to reach an agreement with Matt Mullenweg (Automattic CEO) to allocate more resources toward maintaining the WordPress core.
This website, a pressure tactic in the midst of a legal dispute, seems to be achieving considerable success according to its own data. WP Engine Tracker reports that the number of websites hosted on WP Engine dropped from 745.000 at the end of September to just over 700.000 currently. Of those departures, the website claims credit for convincing nearly 25,000 sites to migrate as of the time of writing.
In addition to identifying WP Engine clients via a downloadable Excel sheet, the WP Engine Tracker website offers alternatives that, according to Automattic, are more collaborative in supporting WordPress maintenance. These include services in which Mullenweg has economical interests, such as Pressable, among others. These alternatives are promoted with special conditions and discounts for those who choose to make the switch.
The history between WP Engine and Matt Mullenweg is long and multifaceted, but at its core, it boils down to a prolonged demand from Mullenweg for WP Engine to significantly increase its contributions to WordPress core development or allocate a substantial portion of its profits to this effort. WP Engine refused, arguing that it was already contributing adequately, leading to an escalating conflict that has since reached the courts.
Note: Article originally written in Spanish, translated with ChatGPT, and reviewed in english by Jorge Mediavilla.
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