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The original was posted on /r/opensource by /u/Fatima-89 on 2024-12-23 23:39:53+00:00.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been following the WP Engine lawsuit and some recent WordPress-related discussions, and it’s got me reflecting on the challenges facing open source as it grows. WordPress, once the poster child for open-source success, seems to be at a crossroads. The lawsuit itself feels like a symptom of deeper tensions in the ecosystem mainly the friction between community-driven ideals and the growing influence of corporations.

Take the recent State of the Word 2024, for instance. While it showcased some advancements, like better performance in version 6.4 and efforts to modernize the core, many of us wonder: Are these enough to address the deeper issues of governance and innovation?

At the same time, there’s a fascinating analysis over at Rapyd Cloud’s blog that raises questions about how these corporate and technical challenges might reshape WordPress’s role in open source. It’s hard not to wonder if the model that made WordPress so successful is also what’s holding it back now.

Which leads me to some bigger questions about open source in general:

Can we truly separate open source from corporate control as platforms scale, or is this tension inevitable?

Are projects like WordPress still living up to the open-source promise of empowering the community, or have they strayed too far?

For those of you involved in open-source governance or development, what lessons can we learn from this?

I’m not here to bash WordPress—it’s been an incredible tool for democratizing publishing—but it feels like a good moment to take a hard look at the balance between growth, innovation, and staying true to open-source principles.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Have you seen this kind of dynamic in other open-source projects? What do you think the future holds for open source as a whole?