WordPress paying employees to leave if they disagree with co-founder
Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic and co-founder of WordPress, has made a unique offer to his employees. He is willing to pay them $30,000 or six months of their salary, if they choose to leave the company over disagreements regarding his ongoing dispute with WP Engine. This move comes amid a public disagreement between Automattic and WP Engine, a third-party hosting service that Mullenweg has labeled as a "cancer" to the WordPress community.
Automattic's dispute with WP Engine intensifies
The conflict between Automattic and WP Engine escalated, when Mullenweg accused the latter of infringing on the WordPress trademark. He also criticized WP Engine for not contributing to the WordPress open-source project. In response, WP Engine, owned by private equity firm Silver Lake, filed a lawsuit against Mullenweg and Automattic alleging extortion. However, Automattic has dismissed these allegations as "baseless."
Mullenweg's offer leads to employee departures
Mullenweg revealed that 159 employees, representing 8.4% of the company, accepted his offer to leave. He acknowledged that a significant number of his colleagues at Automattic disagreed with his stance and actions against WP Engine. The employees were given until October 3 to decide their course of action, with the understanding that those who left would not be eligible for reemployment at Automattic.
Departures impact WordPress ecosystem division
The departures primarily impacted Automattic's WordPress ecosystem division, with 79.2% of those who accepted the offer working in this sector. Mullenweg described the past week as an "emotional roller coaster," but expressed gratitude toward those who chose to leave. He also shared his excitement about continuing to work with those who decided to stay despite the ongoing dispute and his unconventional offer.
