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WP Engine Sends Automattic a Cease and Desist Letter Over Mullenweg’s Comments

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WP Engine sends cease-and-desist letter to Automattic over Mullenweg’s comments

WordPress hosting service WP Engine shipped on Monday letter requesting to stop and desist to Automattic after its CEO Matt Mullenweg called WP Engine “cancer for WordPress” last week.

The notice asked Automattic and Mullenweg to retract their comments and stop and desist from making statements against the corporate.

WP Engine, which (like Automattic itself) commercializes the open-source WordPress project, also accused Mullenweg of constructing threats against WP Engine ahead of last week’s WordCamp summit.

“Automattic CEO Matthew Mullenweg has threatened that if WP Engine does not agree to pay Automattic — his for-profit subsidiary — a very large sum of money before his September 20 keynote speech at WordCamp US, he will engage in what he calls ‘nuclear, scorched earth warfare’ against WP Engine within the WordPress community and beyond,” the letter reads.

“When his outrageous financial demands were not met, Mr. Mullenweg followed through on his threats, repeating false statements that defamed WP Engine to its employees, customers, and the world at large,” the letter added.

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The letter went on to assert that Automattic last week began asking WP Engine to pay “a significant percentage of its gross revenues — in fact, tens of millions of dollars — on an ongoing basis” for a license to make use of trademarks equivalent to “WordPress.”

WP Engine defended its use of the “WordPress” trademark under fair use laws and said it was consistent with the platform’s guidelines. The letter also includes screenshots of Mullenweg’s text messages to WP Engine’s CEO and board members, which apparently state that Mullenweg will argue for a ban on WP Engine in his WordCamp keynote if the corporate doesn’t comply with Automattic’s demands.

Automattic didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Mullenweg, a co-founder of WordPress, criticized WP Engine last week for generating profits without giving much back to the open-source project, in addition to disabling key features that make WordPress such a powerful platform.

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Last week in blog postMullenweg said that WP Engine devotes 47 hours a week to this purpose. “Five for the Future” investment commitment to contribute resources to WordPress’ sustainable growth. By comparison, he said Automattic contributes about 3,900 a week. He acknowledged that while those numbers are only an “approximation,” there may be a big gap in contributions, though each corporations are similar in size and generate about half a billion dollars in revenue.

IN separate blog postHe also added that WP Engine offers customers a “cheap knockoff” of WordPress.

Notably, Automattic invested in WP Engine in 2011, when the corporate raised $1.2 million in funding. Since then, WP Engine has raised over $300 million in equity, nearly all of which got here from a $250 million investment from private equity firm Silver Lake in 2018.


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The Legal Defense Fund withdraws from the META civil law advisory group over Dei Rolback

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Legal Defense Fund,, Meta, dei,


On April 11, the Legal Defense Fund announced that he was leaving the external advisory council for civil rights regarding the fear that the changes in technology company introduced diversity, own capital, inclusion and availability in January.

According to those changes that some perceived as the capitulation of meta against the upcoming Trump administration, contributed to their decision To leave the advisory council of the technology company.

In January, LDF, along with several other organizations of civil rights, which were a part of the board, sent a letter to Marek Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, outlining their fears As for a way changes would negatively affect users.

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“We are shocked and disappointed that the finish has not consulted with this group or its members, considering these significant changes in its content policy. Non -compliance with even its own advisory group of experts on external civil rights shows a cynical disregard for its diverse users base and undermines the commitment of the meta in the field of freedom of speech with which he claims to” return “.

They closed the letter, hoping that the finish would recommend the ideals of freedom of speech: “If the finish really wants to recommend freedom of speech, he must commit to freedom of speech for all his services. As an advisory group from external civil rights, we offer our advice and knowledge in creating a better path.”

These fears increased only in the next months, culminating in one other list, which from the LDF director, Todd A. Cox, who indicated that the organization withdraws its membership from the META civil law advisory council.

“I am deeply disturbed and disappointed with the announcement of Medical on January 7, 2025, with irresponsible changes in content moderation policies on platforms, which are a serious risk for the health and safety of black communities and risk that they destabilize our republic,” Cox wrote.

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He continued: “For almost a decade, the NACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) has invested a lot of time and resources, working with META as part of the informal committee advising the company in matters of civil rights. However, the finish introduced these changes in the policy of the content modification without consulting this group, and many changes directly with the guidelines from the guidelines from LDF and partners. LD can no longer participate in the scope. ” Advisory Committee for Rights “

In a separate but related LDF list, it clearly resembled a finish about the actual obligations of the Citizens’ Rights Act of 1964 and other provisions regarding discrimination in the workplace, versus the false statements of the Trump administration, that diversity, justice and initiative to incorporate discriminates against white Americans.

“While the finish has modified its policy, its obligations arising from federal regulations regarding civil rights remain unchanged. The title of VII of the Act on civic rights of 1964 and other regulations on civil rights prohibit discrimination in the workplace, including disconnecting treatment, principles in the workplace which have unfair disproportionate effects, and the hostile work environment. Also when it comes to inclusion, and access programs.

In the LDF press release, announcing each letters, Cox He called attention Metal insert into growing violence and division in the country’s social climate.

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“LDF worked hard and in good faith with meta leadership and its consulting group for civil rights to ensure that the company’s workforce reflects the values ​​and racial warehouses of the United States and to increase the security priorities of many different communities that use meta platforms,” ​​said Cox. “Now we cannot support a company in good conscience that consciously takes steps in order to introduce changes in politics that supply further division and violence in the United States. We call the meta to reverse the course with these dangerous changes.”

(Tagstranslate) TODD A. COX (T) Legal Defense Fund (T) META (T) Diversity (T) Equality (T) inclusion

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Students of young, talented and black yale collect $ 3 million on a new application

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Nathaneo Johnson and Sean Hargrow, juniors from Yale University, collected $ 3 million in only 14 days to finance their startup, series, social application powered by AI, designed to support significant connections and challenge platforms, similar to LinkedIn and Instagram.

A duo that’s a co -host of the podcast A series of foundersHe created the application after recognizing the gap in the way in which digital platforms help people connect. SEries focuses moderately on facilitating authentic introductions than gathering likes, observing or involvement indicators.

“Social media is great for broadcasting, but it does not necessarily help you meet the right people at the right time,” said Johnson in an interview with Entrepreneur warehouse.

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The series connects users through AI “friends” who communicate via IMessage and help to introduce. Users introduce specific needs-are on the lookout for co-founders, mentors, colleagues or investors-AI makes it easier to introduce based on mutual value. The concept attracts comparisons to LinkedIn, but with more personal experience.

“You publish photos on Instagram, publish movies on Tiktok and publish work posts on LinkedIn … And that’s where you have this microinfluuncer band,” Johnson added.

The application goals to avoid the superficial character of typical social platforms. Hargrow emphasized that although aesthetics often dominates on Instagram and the content virus drives tabktok, Number It is intentional, deliberate contacts.

“We are not trying to replace relationships in the real world-we are going to make it easier for people to find the right relationships,” said Hargrow.

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Parable projects carried out before the seeded (*3*)Funding roundwhich included participation with Pear VC, DGB, VC, forty seventh Street, Radicle Impact, UNCASMON Projects and several famous Angels Investors, including the General Director of Reddit Steve Huffman and the founder of GPTZERO Edward Tian. Johnson called one meeting of investors “dinner for a million dollars”, reflecting how their pitch resonated with early supporters.

Although not the principal corporations, Johnson and Hargrow based pre-coreneuring through their podcast, through which they interviews the founders and leaders of C-Suite about less known elements of constructing the company-as accounting, business law and team formation.

Since the beginning of the series, over 32,000 messages between “friends” have been mentioned within the test phases. The initial goal of the application is the entrepreneurs market. Despite this, the founders hope to develop in finance, dating, education and health – ultimately striving to construct probably the most available warm network on the earth.

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(Tagstranslate) VC (T) Yale (T) Venture Capital (T) Technology (T) APP

This article was originally published on : www.blackenterprise.com
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Tesla used cars offers rapidly increased in March

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Tesla cars sit in a dealership lot

The growing variety of Tesla owners puts their used vehicles on the market, because consumers react to the political activities of Elon Musk and the worldwide protests they were driven.

In March, the variety of used Tesla vehicles listed on the market at autotrader.com increased rapidly, Sherwood News announcedCiting data from the house company Autotrader Cox Automotive. The numbers were particularly high in the last week of March, when on average over 13,000 used Teslas was replaced. It was not only a record – a rise of 67% in comparison with the identical week of the yr earlier.

At the identical time, the sale of latest Tesla vehicles slowed down even when EV sales from other brands increases. In the primary quarter of 2025, almost 300,000 latest EVs were sold in the USA According to the most recent Kelley Blue Book reporta rise of 10.6% yr on yr. Meanwhile, Tesla sales fell in the primary quarter, which is nearly 9% in comparison with the identical period in 2024.

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Automaks resembling GM and Hyundai are still behind Tesla. But they see growth growth. For example, GM brands sold over 30,000 EV in the primary quarter, almost double the amount of a yr ago, in line with Kelley Blue Book.

(Tagstranslat) electric vehicles

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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