The loyalty test checkbox

October 10, 2024

Look, I’m just about as tired of writing about WordPress drama as you are of reading it. That said, I think this stuff needs to be documented because it’s so off-the-wall bonkers. Also, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that drama about blogging software has gotten bloggers to blog about it.

Since I last wrote, two major things happened. First, David Heinemeier Hansson (DHH) wrote his take on the situation. Second, the WordPress world melted down over a new checkbox on a login form.

DHH is a divisive figure in the development world. He’s the creator of Ruby on Rails and the co-owner of 37 Signals, among other things. He’s also very outspoken and not afraid of controversy. I don’t often agree with his takes, but his latest blog post about the WordPress situation was 100% on point. He argues, I also have previously, that something isn’t open source if it has a hidden license that only triggers when secret conditions are met.

The same day that DHH’s post went live, people started noticing a new checkbox on the WordPress.org login page. The text beside the box reads: “I am not affiliated with WP Engine in any way, financially or otherwise.”

The most generous reading would be something like “I don’t work at WP Engine”, but that’s not what the checkbox text says. People were taken aback because, for starters, this is an extremely childish thing to add to a login form. More than that, though, it’s not clear what exactly it means.

Several in the WordPress community reached out on Slack to try and understand the reasoning behind the new checkbox. Javier Casares documented some of the conversation with screenshots. Here’s an unrolled version of the conversation if you, like me, have given up on the cesspool that is X. It’s a wild ride.

People seemed to be asking questions in good faith, and Javier suggested maybe updating the checkbox to “I work for WP Engine” after some back-and-forth. Matt Mullenweg seemed to imply that the checkbox was vague on purpose, and others wondered if purchasing services from WP Engine or its other brands made them “affiliated”. Mullenweg suggested they seek legal council.

You’ll also notice that Javier says he’s banned from the WordPress Slack for asking these questions. He’s not alone. 404 Media has a great article with more detail on the Slack conversation.

The checkbox appears to be a loyalty test, more than anything. You have to check it if you want in to WordPress.org, and what it means is probably unclear by design. Between this and the bans, it looks like Mullenweg only wants true believers to contribute to WordPress. That seems like a terrible way to run a project.

There’s a theme between DHH’s post and this Slack conversation. People who would normally be cheering for Automattic and WordPress are trying to get Mullenweg to realize that his actions are, at best, deeply misguided. I really hope he starts listening soon, but I wouldn’t put any money on it.