The WordPress Foundation's move to trademark "Managed WordPress" and "Hosted WordPress" has further stoked fears among developers and service providers that they could be restricted in their ability to describe their WordPress-related offerings. This has led to widespread calls for greater transparency and clear guidelines from Automattic and the WordPress Foundation on the appropriate use of the WordPress brand and intellectual property.
Moreover, the community has been shaken by Mullenweg's decision to ban WP Engine from accessing WordPress.org resources, which disrupted the operations of countless websites and left some vulnerable to security issues. The perception that Mullenweg was willing to sacrifice the broader community to pursue his dispute with WP Engine has deeply eroded trust in his leadership.