Automattic quietly updated the WP Engine Tracker website with an activity log showing a continuously updated list of domains that have switched away from managed WordPress host, WP Engine. This update is part of Mullenweg’s self-described “nuclear war” against WP Engine, with the Tracker site actively promoting competitors by offering links to their hosting promotions.
WP Engine Tracker
Automattic created a website for the purpose of tracking how many sites have abandoned WP Engine six September 21st, 2024, the date that Matt Mullenweg started went “nuclear” on WP Engine after they rebuffed his request for $32 million dollars. The website promotes deals with other web hosts for moving away from WP Engine, and a CSV spreadsheet with the domain names of the sites that have left WP Engine.
At some point after launching the website was updated with a list of the top web hosts that WP Engine customers have migrated to and a constantly updated list of sites that have recently moved.
WP Engine Tracker “Activity Log Today”
Automattic escalated what the WP Engine Tracker website does by adding an additional feature that shows a continually updated running list of domains that have migrated away from WP Engine and the destination host.
Screenshot Of Activity Log Today Feature
WP Engine Tracker Website Controversies
The update to the WP Engine website is the latest change that the website has undergone. It was initially a bare bones web page with a black background, resembling a website that had been hastily thrown together. Within days, Automattic updated the site with a blue color scheme and added new features.
Among the changes was the addition of a recently moved feature that advertises domains that recently migrated away from WP Engine.
Screenshot Of Recently Moved Feature
Another change was the addition of a top destinations graphic:
Screenshot Of Top Destinations Feature Of WP Engine Tracker Site
November 10th: Blocked By Cloudflare For Phishing
The WP Engine Tracker website suffered a temporary setback on November 10th when Cloudflare blocked it for phishing. Phishing is an attack where individuals attempt to trick a victim into revealing sensitive information like user names, passwords, and credit card information. But that was resolved within the same day.
Screenshot Of Archived Phishing Warning
Response On Reddit
Users on Reddit generally did not respond favorably. One Redditor posted that they had received unsolicited phone calls about switching away from WP Engine.
They posted:
“I was out of the office for some medical procedures, so I missed the WPE Tracker thing. However, this explains why I’ve received unsolicited hosting calls from certain operations. Clearly, someone is mining it to solicit business. Absolutely aggravating and also completely expected.
All this does is further entrench me on WP Engine.”
Another Redditor responded to ask if the company that contacted them was associated with Automattic.
The first Redditor responded:
“When I went through the three messages (two from the same company), I immediately sent an email into their support teams to discuss this with a supervisor. I don’t want to drag them publicly if this is just some enterprising sales reps looking to pad their stats and not something being directed, but I can say that both companies are not in the Automattic universe.”
Another Redditor complained that the WP Engine Tracker site was publicizing information they wished hadn’t been presented so openly.
They posted:
“I don’t want anyone knowing what host I use, I setup a CDN before migrations, I don’t need anyone having that advantage. Then comes along some dweeb and messes that up for me, what a tosser.”
WP Engine Lawsuit
The WP Engine Tracker website, created by Automattic and Matt Mullenweg to publicly monitor and offer links to promotions to other web hosts, was cited in a preliminary injunction filed by WP Engine as evidence of Mullenweg’s purposeful “attack on WPE” as part of his “nuclear war” against the managed WordPress host.
The preliminary injunction filed by WP Engine explains:
“Just last week, in an apparent effort to brag about how successful they have been in harming WPE, Defendants created a website—www.wordpressenginetracker.com—that “list[s] . . . every domain hosted by @wpengine, which you can see decline every day. 15,080 sites have left already since September 21st.
September 21 was not selected randomly. It is the day after Defendants’ self-proclaimed nuclear war began – an admission that these customer losses were caused by Defendants’ wrongful actions. In this extraordinary attack on WPE and its customers, Defendants included on their disparaging website a downloadable file of ‘all [WPE] sites ready for a new home’—that is, WPE’s customer list, literally inviting others to target and poach WPE’s clients while Defendants’ attacks on WPE continued..”
But available transcripts of the preliminary injunction hearing of November 26th do not show that it was mentioned. The judge at that hearing asked the plaintiff and defendants to return to court on Monday December 2nd with an agreement on a narrow and specific scope for a preliminary injunction, having said that the original request was too vague and consequently unenforceable.
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