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The federal fight between WP Engine, Automattic and Matt Mullenweg is still active. A September 24, 2026 order addressed motions to dismiss, and WP Engine says the judge allowed most of its claims—including antitrust claims—to proceed. The separate headline detail that newly retained Automattic lawyers were denied more time is not identifiable in the docket material available for this report, so that procedural point should be treated as requiring direct docket confirmation rather than as a final ruling on the case.
What happened to Automattic’s request for more time?
The headline refers to a reported request by newly retained Automattic lawyers for additional time in WPEngine, Inc. v. Automattic Inc., Northern District of California case 4:24-cv-06917. The currently identified docket record confirms a September 24, 2026 order on motions to dismiss, but it does not, by itself, establish the exact motion seeking an extension or the wording of an order denying it.
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That distinction matters. An extension request is a case-management issue; it does not decide whether WP Engine’s claims are true. Until the specific filing and order are identified, readers should not treat the “lost bid for more time” detail as equivalent to a merits judgment or as evidence that Automattic has lost the lawsuit.
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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Did the judge let WP Engine’s lawsuit continue?
According to WP Engine’s September 2026 statement, the court allowed most of its claims to proceed at the pleading stage, including its antitrust claims. WP Engine said the ruling recognized allegations of market power, anticompetitive conduct and harm to competition across the market, rather than harm limited to WP Engine alone.
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WP Engine described the result this way: “We are gratified by this important ruling allowing our antitrust claims to proceed, finding that we have sufficiently alleged market power, anticompetitive conduct, and market-wide harm to competition – not just harm to WP Engine.”
“Allowed to proceed” means the allegations were treated as sufficient for the case to move forward at this stage. It does not mean the court found that Automattic violated antitrust law, that WP Engine suffered the damages it claims, or that any witness has prevailed at trial. The September order is a motion-to-dismiss ruling, not a final judgment.
What the Automattic–WP Engine case is about
WP Engine sued Automattic and Mullenweg after a dispute over control of WordPress-related resources and the business relationships built around that ecosystem. WP Engine characterizes the conduct as an abuse of market power that damaged its company, customers and competition. Its legal theories include antitrust claims and related allegations involving interference and other business harms.
Reporting on WP Engine’s February 12, 2026 third amended complaint described allegations that Automattic planned royalty demands involving other hosting companies and applied pressure involving Stripe. Those assertions remain allegations. Automattic disputed WP Engine’s characterization and said the amended filing repackaged a narrative the court had already rejected in substantial part.
Automattic has also asserted counterclaims. In an October 24, 2025 announcement, it accused Silver Lake-backed WP Engine of making a bad investment and engaging in trademark and broader ecosystem misconduct. Automattic said, “This is not a fight Automattic sought out.” Its counterclaim account also references disputes over WP Engine’s use of WordPress-related trademarks and valuation issues associated with Silver Lake.
How the parties describe the dispute
| Issue | WP Engine’s account | Automattic’s account | Procedural status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alleged conduct | Automattic and Mullenweg used control over WordPress resources in ways that harmed WP Engine and competition. | WP Engine misused the WordPress ecosystem and engaged in conduct Automattic says violated its trademark and other rights. | Competing allegations in active civil litigation. |
| Legal theories | Antitrust and related business-interference claims, including alleged market-wide effects. | Trademark and ecosystem-related counterclaims, with additional allegations concerning WP Engine’s business conduct and valuation. | Claims and counterclaims are being litigated; no merits finding has been established here. |
| Relief sought | Protection for its business, customers and the broader WordPress community, along with relief available under its claims. | Relief on its counterclaims and a response to what it describes as litigation it did not seek. | The available material does not state a final damages award or injunction. |
| What the court has decided | WP Engine says most claims, including antitrust claims, survived dismissal. | Automattic contests WP Engine’s characterization of the amended allegations. | The September 24, 2026 ruling addressed pleading sufficiency, not liability. |
Key dates in the case
| Date | Event | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| October 2, 2024 | WP Engine filed the federal lawsuit in the Northern District of California. | Opened case 4:24-cv-06917 against Automattic and Mullenweg. |
| October 24, 2025 | Automattic announced counterclaims. | Expanded the dispute beyond WP Engine’s original claims to Automattic’s allegations about trademarks, ecosystem conduct and related business issues. |
| February 12, 2026 | TechCrunch reported WP Engine’s third amended complaint. | The report described allegations involving possible royalty demands to other hosts and pressure involving Stripe; Automattic disputed the account. |
| June 5, 2026 | Magistrate Judge Ajay Krishnan issued a discovery-disputes order. | The order granted limited additional deposition time on specified topics, required particular productions and interrogatory responses, denied other requests, and set June 17 as the general deadline for compelled discovery. |
| September 24, 2026 | The docket recorded an order on motions to dismiss. | WP Engine said most of its claims, including antitrust claims, were allowed to continue. |
What the discovery order means
The June 5 order shows that discovery has been contentious, but it is separate from the September motion-to-dismiss ruling. Judge Krishnan permitted only limited extra deposition time and specified which documents and interrogatory answers had to be produced. Other requests were denied. The general compelled-discovery deadline was June 17, 2026, so that deadline has already passed; the material available here does not identify a later trial date or a new casewide discovery schedule.
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With claims surviving dismissal, the litigation can move through the remaining pretrial process: disputes over discovery, potential additional motions, preparation of evidence and eventually a trial or settlement. The September ruling does not guarantee that every claim will reach trial. Claims can still be narrowed, resolved, or dismissed later on a fuller factual record.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe most important qualification is that neither side’s public description proves the underlying accusations. WP Engine’s assertions about market power, royalties, Stripe and market-wide harm remain contested. Automattic’s allegations about trademark use, ecosystem misconduct and Silver Lake-related valuation likewise remain matters for litigation. No final judgment, damages award or finding of antitrust liability has been reported in the materials identified for this article.
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