Automattic Taunts WP Engine With Provocative Website via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Automattic appears to have created a site that draws attention to the number of customers that have left WP Engine for another web host. The site includes a searchable database of websites hosted on WP Engine that can also be downloaded as a CSV spreadsheet.

The name of the website is WP Engine Tracker, it features a prominent Automattic logo and a link to an associated GitHub  repository that shows an Automattic employee is the developer of the website.

Ongoing Dispute Between Automattic And WP Engine

The website is the latest escalation in a dispute initiated by Matt Mullenweg, WordPress co-founder and CEO of Automattic, who argues that WP Engine’s contributions to WordPress development fall short. WordPress relies on contributions and sponsorships from volunteers, businesses, and individuals who benefit from the platform. The underlying principle is that the more everyone contributes the more the entire community benefits, strengthening WordPress’s position as the world’s most popular content management system.

The text of the website features a number representing the websites that have left WP Engine and an explanation:

“This is the number of websites that have left WP Engine and found a new home since Sep 21, 2024.

Search below to see if a site is still hosted by WP Engine”

Comments Left On WP Engine Tracker GitHub Repository

The website links to a GitHub repository that lists the author of the WP Engine Tracker website as being someone who works for Automattic.

Screenshot Of Author Listed On GitHub Repository

The Issues tab of the official GitHub repository contains critiques of the project and some criticism.

The first comment notes that the counter is incorrect because it claims to count websites that have left WP Engine but that it should be saying how many domains have left. The reason is because of the “websites” listed redirect to one domain, which means that the count is inflated.

Another person commented:

“It’s possible some folks have left WordPress as well, so saying sites have left WP Engine doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve gone to another web host that supports WordPress. This is a really tacky endeavor. I am not impressed at all.”

The latest comment calls the website “amateurish”:

“Also the check, if a domain is hosted by WPE, is quite amateurish.

https://github.com/wordpressenginetracker/wordpressenginetracker.github.io/blob/trunk/index.js#L118

missing dot at beginning for some
only checks subdomains
I’m not sure what the goal of this website is and what Matt tries to achieve. But the community is getting increasingly annoyed of such unprofessional behavior of Matt and in the security community some also think about dropping 0days for WordPress and related plugins / themes due to this whole situation.

The feedback under the tweet from the official WordPress account and in the reddit community shows, what most of us think.

The whole situation hurts everyone more than needed.”

Screenshot Of GitHub Repository For WP Engine Tracker

What Is The Point Of The Website?

It’s unclear what the purpose of the WP Engine Tracker website is other than the stated purpose of tracking sites that have left WP Engine.

The website draws attention to the specific domains of websites that have moved away from WP Engine but what purpose does that serve? Is the purpose is to draw attention to sites that could be solicited to move away from WP Engine? If so, there’s nothing on the website that encourages that use of the information.  The WP Engine Tracker website is silent about what site visitors should do with the data.

Visit the WP Engine Tracker site here

Visit the WP Engine Tracker GitHub Repository here.

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