Mullenweg Faces Backlash Over First Amendment Claims

Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, has faced criticism after asserting that WP Engine, a managed WordPress hosting provider, was trying to infringe on his First Amendment rights. In a blog post and X post, Mullenweg claimed that WP Engine's recent legal actions were aimed at limiting his freedom of speech. Social media users responded with both polite corrections and more blunt accusations of hypocrisy.

The Dispute Between Mullenweg and WP Engine

The conflict between Mullenweg and WP Engine began during a Q&A session at WordCamp, a WordPress community event, where Mullenweg publicly criticized WP Engine for not contributing enough to the WordPress open-source project. He escalated his criticism with a post on WordPress.org, calling WP Engine a "cancer" to WordPress:

"This is one of the many reasons they are a cancer to WordPress, and it’s important to remember that unchecked, cancer will spread. WP Engine is setting a poor standard that others may look at and think is ok to replicate. We must set a higher standard to ensure WordPress is here for the next 100 years."

Mullenweg then banned thousands of WP Engine customers from accessing updates on their WordPress websites. After facing backlash from the WordPress community, Mullenweg offered a temporary reprieve to alleviate the inconvenience faced by WP Engine customers, allowing WP Engine some time to develop a workaround.

The ban drew criticism from WordPress developers and users alike. A tweet by Ruby Media Group's CEO captured the frustration felt by many:

"My dev team can’t update my plugins because of this. You are destroying people’s lives."

In response to these actions, WP Engine issued a cease-and-desist letter to Mullenweg and Automattic, followed by a federal lawsuit alleging that Mullenweg's actions amounted to an attempt to extort millions of dollars from WP Engine.

Mullenweg’s Free Speech Claims

Mullenweg responded to the lawsuit by framing it as an attack on his First Amendment rights, writing on his blog:

"WP Engine has filed hundreds of pages of legal documents seeking an injunction against me and Automattic. They say this is about community or some nonsense, but if you look at the core, what they’re trying to do is ask a judge to curtail my First Amendment rights."

Mullenweg concluded his post by stating he would no longer comment publicly on the lawsuit but encouraged supporters to speak up on his behalf.

Social Media Backlash

The First Amendment guarantees that the U.S. government will not make laws limiting free speech. Many on social media were quick to point out that WP Engine, as a private company, cannot infringe on Mullenweg's First Amendment rights. Criticism of Mullenweg's claim was widespread, with one WordPress developer tweeting:

"You have no First Amendment rights in this context. WP Engine is not the government trying to curtail your 1A rights. 1A only applies to government entities."

Another response stated:

"Please reread what the First Amendment is, dum dum."

Some comments went further, calling Mullenweg’s understanding of the situation “moronic” and advising him to consult his lawyer for a better understanding of the First Amendment.

Accusations of Hypocrisy

In addition to correcting Mullenweg's understanding of free speech, some users accused him of hypocrisy. They highlighted how Mullenweg has previously banned individuals from the official WordPress Slack channel and WP Engine users from accessing the plugin repository, thus curtailing others' opportunities for expression within the community.

A WordPress and open-source enthusiast tweeted:

"Yes, ‘freedom of speech’ is so important. I assume you now will be unblocking everyone that was exercising their right to freedom of speech in the WordPress Slack and here on X. Or, did you just mean literally ‘my freedom of speech’ only?"

Another user noted:

"How many people have you banned from the WP Slack channel over the past couple weeks?"

Lack of Sympathy

Overall, Mullenweg's attempt to frame his dispute with WP Engine as a First Amendment issue garnered little sympathy. One web application developer summarized the lack of support:

"Maybe, maybe. But you probably won’t be getting a lot of sympathy from the crowd right now due to this thing the kids these days call ‘consequences.’"

Mullenweg’s actions have certainly drawn attention, but the backlash highlights the importance of understanding the bounds of free speech, particularly in disputes between private parties.