The WordPress Drama Won't Kill Your Business. Here's Why.

Pawel Madeja — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 23:28:53 +0000

"WordPress is facing its biggest crisis in 20 years"

That's what the headlines want you to believe.

And as I read through another article about the WordPress drama this morning, I couldn't help but think about all the developers and business owners losing sleep over this.

Let me be honest with you: as someone who's been part of the WordPress community for years, watching this drama unfold is painful.

The community infighting, the harsh words, the legal battles - none of this is good for the ecosystem we've all built together.

Full disclosure: I own a WordPress software house. We've been building WordPress solutions for over 15 years. This situation affects us directly, especially emotionally as community members.

But here's the thing: while my heart hurts for the community, my business brain sees a different picture entirely. When I look at this situation pragmatically, analyzing the actual impact on businesses using WordPress I see no threat to your business operations.

So, getting back to the point: you're seeing these headlines everywhere. Matt Mullenweg calling companies a "cancer". Legal battles. Plugin takeovers. And you're thinking: "Is my business screwed?"

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Hell no. And I'll tell you exactly why.

The Truth About Your WordPress Business

I stick to WordPress for so long not because I'm some WordPress fanboy, but because it works. I've seen companies making millions on WordPress sites. I've watched businesses scaling from zero to hero using WordPress as their foundation.

Yes, my company benefits when WordPress succeeds. But you know who benefits more? The millions of businesses running on WordPress. Here are some interesting statistics from the latest WordCamp Europe:

(btw. how ironic that those stats comes from WP Engine)

What do I think about this drama? It's a corporate theatre. Nothing more.

Your websites and ecommerce systems run on open-source code. That means NO ONE – not Matt Mullenweg, not Automattic, not WP Engine – can take it away from you. Period.

"But I'm on WP Engine! Am I Screwed?"

Let me address this head-on.

If you're hosted on WP Engine right now, here's what you need to know:

First off, breathe. WP Engine is not some small player that's going to disappear overnight. They're a publicly traded company managing over 1.5 million websites. They've already implemented solutions to ensure their customers aren't affected by this drama.

Specifically:

They've deployed their own update system that doesn't rely on WordPress.org
Your site updates and security patches continue to work
All your WP Engine-specific features and tools are functioning normally

But here's the real kicker: Even if you want to leave WP Engine, you can. Your WordPress site is 100% portable. You own it all. The code, the content, the data - everything. That's the beauty of WordPress that no corporate drama can change.

"I'm Using Advanced Custom Fields. Should I Panic?"

Here's the situation with Advanced Custom Fields plugin:

If you're using ACF Pro, nothing changes. Zero. Nada. You're getting updates directly from WP Engine
If you're using the free version, you've got two options:
1. Download the latest version directly from advancedcustomfields.com
2. Keep using your current version (it will keep working)

And what’s important, ACF is not going anywhere. It's used by millions of sites. WP Engine invested huge money in buying it in 2022. They're not going to let it die.

How about the absolute worst-case scenario? Your existing ACF data remain completely intact. They're part of your site's data, stored in your database. No one can take that away from you.

Let's Talk Real Numbers

WordPress powers 43% of the internet
Millions of businesses run on it
Billions in revenue flow through WordPress sites daily

You know what all those numbers mean?

The platform is too big to fail. Too vital to break. Too valuable to mess up.

Here's What Actually Matters

While everyone's freaking out about trademark disputes and corporate drama, here's what remains absolutely unchanged:

Your website? Still works. Your WooCommerce store? Still processing orders. Your customers? Still buying. Your SEO rankings? Still solid. Why? Because the core technology doesn't depend on any of these companies' dramas...

That also means if you're a WordPress developer - no matter if freelance, or working full-time in a WordPress agency - you don't need to worry about suddenly losing your job.

What Smart Business Owners Are Doing Right Now

The smart money isn't jumping ship. They're doubling down.

Because here's what seasoned developers know that most don't: WordPress's strength isn't in any one company. Not in Automattic's, not in anyone's. It's in its open-source nature and massive ecosystem.

You can:

Move your site to any host
Modify any code
Own all your data

The Real Risk (That No One's Talking About)

Want to know the actual risk to your business?

It's not the WordPress drama.

It's letting this drama distract you from what actually matters: serving your customers and growing your business. Your competitors who are busy panicking? They're losing focus. They're wasting energy on things they can't control.

Don't be them.

The Bottom Line

Look, I've got skin in this game. My company's success is tied to WordPress's success. I acknowledge that bias openly.

But I've also built hundreds of WordPress solutions. Worked with businesses of all sizes. And I'm telling you straight up:

Your WordPress business is fine.

Not because I'm optimistic. Not because I'm trying to sell you something. Not because my business depends on it.

Because that's the reality of how open-source software works.

What You Should Actually Do

Keep your backups current
Stay updated on security patches
If you're using ACF free, grab the latest version from advancedcustomfields.com
If you're on WP Engine, you're already covered by their update system
Focus on growing your business

That's it.

No need for drastic moves. No need for platform changes. No need for panic.

At the end I’ve got one more statistic - according to the "State of Enterprise WordPress" report, approximately 75% of surveyed brands reported that their WordPress sites provided strong to exceptional ROI:

Final Truth Bomb

You know what successful businesses do during market uncertainty?
They focus on fundamentals while others panic.

The WordPress ecosystem will be fine. Your business will be fine. Your job as a WordPress developer will be fine.

And if you're smart? You'll use this time to focus on what matters while your competitors waste time worrying about corporate drama.

P.S. Yes, I run Coditive, a software house that specializes in WordPress. Yes, I have an interest in WordPress's success. But I also have 15 years of data and hundreds of successful projects backing up everything I've said here. That includes working with clients on WP Engine and building complex solutions with ACF. If you found this valuable, follow me for more no-BS takes on WordPress development and business growth. And if you're running a WordPress business and want to make sure you're positioned for success, let's talk.

Is there a tool to quickly check a Github Action status on desktop? 🤔

Pawel Madeja — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 20:54:43 +0000

For example from terminal?

5 Frontend Podcasts - here's what I listen to to stay up to date

Pawel Madeja — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 16:15:15 +0000

I love listening to podcasts. Whenever I've got a moment, while commuting, going to work or cooking, I'm just putting on my headphones. I would like to share with you my favorite ones.

Syntax FM

syntax.fm

An amazing podcast hosted by Wes Bos and Scott Tolinski. Topics are based mostly on frontend tools and frameworks, but also about some overall dev issues like workflows, steps to become a better developer, or apps and office setups. A few years ago (probably in 2017) one of the episodes finally encouraged me to make a switch from Sublime Editor to Visual Studio Code (best decision ever :D).

Toolsday

spec.fm/podcasts/toolsday

Podcast hosted by Una Kravets & Chris Dhanaraj. Topics include the latest tech tools, libraries and trends. You will find also a lot of tricks and tips that will improve your workflow, make it more efficient and fun. Talking about fun, I didn't know that variable fonts are such interesting thing to play with (more you will find out in the episode 103).

Full Stack Radio

fullstackradio.com

A podcast for developers interested in building online software products. Adam Wathan, the host of the podcast, conducts great interviews with highly skilled developers and online creators. Oh, and if you are not convinced to the Tailwind (as I was) just listen to episodes about it, and you will fall in love (now I wanna use Tailwind in every project ;).

Vue.js News

news.vuejs.org

Vue.js is my Javascript framework of choice, so I had to include it on the list. This podcast is definitely worth listening to, if you would like to stay up to date with all those cool things happening in the Vue.js community.

JAMstack Radio

www.heavybit.com/library/podcasts/jamstack-radio/

JAMstack and Serverless technologies are starting to be a next huge thing in a web development world. If you agree - this is a podcast for you :)

So yeah, this is my list. I know that it's pretty personal and narrowed down to my specific frontend workflow and interests. I would be happy to know what are your favorite podcasts - feel free to leave suggestions in comments.

DEV Community: Pawel Madeja