WordPress vs WP Engine | Public Opinion Survey

This survey explores public opinion on the ongoing dispute between WordPress.org and WP Engine. The objective is to understand public awareness, perspectives, and concerns regarding the controversy. The survey is independent and does not endorse or condemn any party involved.

Focus: The survey addresses key points of contention, including Matt Mullenweg’s actions in taking control of the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin, WP Engine’s contributions to the WordPress community, and potential implications for the broader WordPress ecosystem.

Neutrality: The questions are designed to be impartial and objective, drawing upon information from various news articles, blog posts, and public statements.

Context: The sources provide context and insights into the events leading up to the dispute. You are strongly encouraged to review the sources before participating to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the situation.

Confidentiality: Individual responses will remain confidential. Aggregated findings might be shared publicly to highlight overall trends and insights.

This survey was created, and the questions were devised by Google’s NotebookLM AI. We fed NotebookLM with 14 different input sources, including interviews with Matt Mullenweg himself, statements and social media posts from WP Engine and a variety of online articles and transcripts of YouTube videos on the subject.

Opinion survey v1

Email - Optional. Only required if you would like to receive a summary of responses once the survey has been completed.

Section 1 - Background & Awareness

On a scale of 1 to 10 how concerned are you for the future of your website(s) right now?

Not at all concerned Extremely concerned
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

On a scale of 1 to 10 how familiar would you say you are with the details of the dispute?

Totally unfamiliar Fully familiar
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

On a scale of 1 to 10 how familiar are you with the differences between company Automattic and The WordPress Foundation?

Totally unfamiliar Fully familiar
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

How familiar are you with WP Engine?

Totally unfamiliar Fully familiar
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

I am am currently a customer of WP Engine (Not including add-on plugins such as ACF)

Yes

I am am/was a user of ACF

Yes

I have an ACF Pro Licence

Yes

Section 2 - Opinions & Perspectives

Do you agree with Matt Mullenweg's assertion that WP Engine has not adequately contributed to the WordPress open-source community?

Yes

Unsure

Do you believe that forking the ACF plugin and renaming it to "Secure Custom Fields" was the appropriate response to the perceived lack of contribution from WP Engine?

Yes

Unsure

Do you think the “Secure Custom Fields” branding is appropriate, given the context of the dispute?

Yes

Unsure

What is your opinion of the mandatory checkbox on WordPress.org stating "I am not affiliated with WP Engine in any way, financially or otherwise"?

A childish measure

Necessary to protect the integrity of WordPress.org

An excessive and unnecessary measure

Harmful to the WordPress community

Unsure/no opinion

I believe Matt Mullenweg was right to call out WP Engine in public at WordCamp US?

Totally disagree Agree 100%
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

I beleive the language used directly by Matt Mullenweg and indirectly during this dispute could be perceived as inflammatory?

Totally disagree Agree 100%
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

How concerned are you about the potential for the "Secure Custom Fields" plugin to contain vulnerabilities or malicious code, given the circumstances of its creation?

Not at all concerned Extremely concerned
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

Do you believe that the recent actions by WordPress.org have eroded trust within the WordPress community?

Unsure/no opinion Yes, significantly
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

Has this controversy changed your perception of Matt Mullenweg's leadership of WordPress Foundation

Has this controversy changed your perception of Matt Mullenweg's leadership of Automattic?

Section 3 - WordPress, ACF, SCF usage and the future

If you are currently using the ACF plugin, are you planning to:

Continue using the "Secure Custom Fields" plugin maintained by WordPress.org

Use the original ACF plugin maintained by the ACF team

Switch to a different custom fields plugin (such as Jet Engine or Pods)

I am not currently using the ACF plugin

If you are NOT currently using the ACF or SCF plugins but had the need to do so in the future

I would most likely avoid ACF

I would most likely avoid SCF

I would most likely avoid both and seek an alternative solution

How likely would you be to support a community-driven fork of WordPress?

Not at all Likely Extremely Likely
0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10

Section 4 - And finally ...

Section 5 - Validation

Impartiality - I confirm that I am not directly employed by, funded by or have any financial or operational involvement by/with any of the protagonists involved in this dispute.

I confirm that I permit the data and opinions I have expressed to be summarised anonymously and used in any statistical analysis or summary.

If I have provided one, I permit my email address to be used solely to notify me of the survey results and for no other purpose.