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In this episode of WP Minute+, I sat down with Noel Tock, co-founder of Human Made, a leading Enterprise WordPress agency. We dove into the recent explosive events between Automattic and WP Engine, exploring the implications for the WordPress community and the potential for an independent WordPress.org fork.

Noel's unique perspective as both an agency owner and a humanitarian worker in Ukraine provided a fascinating backdrop to our discussion. He emphasized how WordPress remains a critical tool for humanitarian efforts, powering thousands of new charities in crisis zones. This reminder of WordPress's global impact set the tone for our conversation about its future.

We explored the current economic challenges facing WordPress agencies in today's competitive landscape. Noel highlighted the need for better product marketing of WordPress in the enterprise space, where it often competes as a "secondary CMS" against more comprehensive suites. This led us to discuss the potential motivations behind Matt Mullenweg's recent actions and what it might mean for the WordPress ecosystem.

The core of our conversation revolved around the feasibility and implications of forking WordPress.org. We explored the technical challenges, the potential costs, and the community dynamics that would be involved in such an endeavor. Noel provided valuable insights into what it would take for an independent repository to gain traction, suggesting that incentivizing premium plugin developers could be a key strategy.

Key takeaways for WordPress professionals:

1 The WordPress ecosystem is facing increased competition and needs better product marketing, especially in the enterprise space.

2 Forking WordPress.org would be a massive undertaking, requiring significant resources and community buy-in.

3 Clarity on governance and what constitutes meaningful contribution to WordPress is crucial moving forward.

4 The relationship between commercial interests and open-source principles in WordPress needs careful navigation.

5 WordPress remains a critical tool for global humanitarian efforts, highlighting its importance beyond just business applications.

6 The hosting industry may need to reassess its relationship with WordPress in light of recent events.

7 Automattic's role as a steward of the open web extends beyond just WordPress, complicating the financial dynamics.

⠀Important URLs mentioned:

1. HumanMade.com
2. WordPress.org
3. @noeltock
4. thewpminute.com/support

⠀Chapter titles with timestamps:

1 [00:00:00] Introduction and WordPress's role in humanitarian efforts

2 [00:05:18] The state of WordPress agencies and competition

3 [00:15:30] Exploring the possibility of forking WordPress.org

4 [00:23:36] The potential for new WordPress marketplaces

5 [00:28:00] Matt Mullenweg's role and the future of WordPress governance

6 [00:32:30] Implications for the web hosting industry

7 [00:34:00] Automattic's broader role in the open web

8 [00:37:24] Closing thoughts on focus and learning from experiences