Automattic CEO and WordPress co-creator Matt Mullenweg recently launched a fierce critique of WP Engine, labeling the managed WordPress hosting provider a “cancer to WordPress.” Mullenweg accused WP Engine of profiting from the open-source platform while failing to contribute meaningfully to its growth and development.

Speaking at WordCamp US 2024 in Portland, Oregon, Mullenweg highlighted the stark difference in contributions between Automattic and WP Engine. He revealed that Automattic dedicates 3,900 hours weekly to support WordPress, whereas WP Engine contributes a mere 40 hours. Although he noted these figures may not be exact, he emphasized that both companies are similarly sized, each generating approximately half a billion dollars in revenue.

Mullenweg’s comments come against a backdrop of WP Engine’s long history of commercialization since its founding in 2010, which has raised nearly $300 million in funding, including a significant $250 million investment from Silver Lake in 2018. Notably, Automattic once invested in WP Engine in 2011 and has participated in other WordPress hosting ventures, including acquiring Pressable.

During his address, Mullenweg urged the WordPress community to reconsider their hosting choices, asking users to “vote with your wallet.” He criticized Silver Lake, stating, “They don’t give a dang about your open-source ideals; they just want a return on capital.” He encouraged WP Engine customers to explore alternatives such as Hostinger, Bluehost Cloud, and Pressable, suggesting that switching providers is easier than ever and could lead to better performance.

In a follow-up blog post, Mullenweg reiterated his stance, stating that WP Engine profits from the confusion between the official WordPress project and the services they offer. He clarified, “WP Engine is not WordPress,” highlighting that their practices could set a poor precedent for the industry.

Mullenweg further criticized WP Engine for disabling essential WordPress features, such as revision history, which allows users to revert content changes. He argued that this compromises the core functionality of WordPress and ultimately harms users. “They disable revisions because it costs them more money to store the history of changes,” he explained. “This breaks the fundamental promise of WordPress: to manage and protect your content.”

TechCrunch has reached out to WP Engine for a response and will provide updates as more information becomes available.