Important: Ongoing Situation
I am monitoring the currently developing situation. This story will be updating as new information comes in. Stay informed and connected!
A major upheaval has rocked the WordPress community as Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, has taken control of the popular Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin. In a surprising and controversial move, Mullenweg has renamed the plugin to “Secure Custom Fields” and has pushed out an update that renames it for all users.
Mullenweg’s recent actions—taking over Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) from WP Engine, renaming it Secure Custom Fields—feel like a continuation of the power grab he started last month when he blocked WP Engine from accessing the WordPress plugin directory.
Through out my career, I’ve used WordPress and built sites on it for 10+ years. I’ve used it almost every day for the past two years through my current employer. I’ve never seen this kind of conduct from WordPress let alone any other online platform or tool.
It’s insane to me that this is all taking place in public. We the creators get front row seats to what essentially feels like parents arguing and we’re the children caught in the middle.
WP Engine legally acquired ACF, invested in its growth, and built it into one of their cornerstone products. ACF is probably the most important plugin made for WordPress, since it extends it’s usability in such a profound way.
Mullenweg’s decision to take control of it and rebrand it without WP Engine’s involvement is a rash, childish outburst. It disregards fair competition and the values that underpin WordPress as an open-source platform. What does ‘open-source’ even mean if there are shadow expectations to donate to it’s growth?
This isn’t about enhancing the plugin for the community; it’s about consolidating power under Automattic at the expense of others.
By cutting off WP Engine users from plugin updates and now stripping them of a critical plugin, Mullenweg is creating division and uncertainty. This feels less like leadership and more like an impulsive, retaliatory action—something that undermines the collaborative spirit of WordPress. The community needs stability, transparency, and fairness, but what we’re seeing is the opposite: unilateral decisions that harm key players and users alike.
These actions are damaging the WordPress ecosystem, and it’s time for Mullenweg to reconsider the path he’s on (and resign) before it causes lasting harm to the community he claims to champion.
More to follow…
