WordPress dispute escalates with class action lawsuit over blocked updates

What just happened? A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Automattic, the company behind WordPress, and its founder, Matt Mullenweg, further escalating an ongoing dispute with web hosting provider WP Engine. The lawsuit, filed by WP Engine customer Ryan Keller, accuses Automattic and Mullenweg of deliberately disrupting contracts and abusing their control over the WordPress ecosystem. Keller, who runs Keller Holdings – a company that creates websites for businesses and individuals – is seeking damages for affected businesses and a permanent injunction to prevent Automattic from using its control over WordPress.org to interfere with competitors. The conflict centers on Automattic's actions in September 2024, when the company blocked WPE's access to WordPress software updates, security patches, and plugins. This move allegedly impacted hundreds of thousands of websites hosted by WPE, causing significant disruptions to their maintenance and security. The class action l ... Read full article.