Matt Mullenweg: WordPress developer hours cutback may or may not slow innovation

“Automatticians who contributed to core will instead focus on for-profit projects within Automattic, such as WordPress.com, Pressable, WPVIP, Jetpack, and WooCommerce,” the statement said. “As part of this reset, Automattic will match its volunteering pledge to those made by WP Engine and other players in the ecosystem, or about 45 hours a week that qualify under the Five For the Future program as benefitting the entire community and not just a single company. These hours will likely go towards security and critical updates.”

The implication is that the labor reallocations would be reversed were WP Engine to drop its lawsuit. Mullenweg said recent changes that WP Engine has made has altered his demands. He is no longer asking for money, for example.

His original demand had been for payment; in late October, Mullenweg said WP Engine “could have avoided all of this for $32 million. This should have been very easy,” and he then accused WP Engine of having engaged in “18 months of gaslighting” and said, “that’s why I got so crazy.”