WP Engine Accuses WordPress of 'Forcibly' Taking Over Its Plug-in

A high-profile conflict between WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg/Automattic and WP Engine over the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin has led to a fork named Secure Content Fields (SCF), changes to update delivery via WordPress.org, and legal escalations. While Mullenweg cites security and upsell concerns, WP Engine disputes the claims and warns of precedent and trust issues; experts note potential user confusion and migration risks as auto-updates may shift sites to SCF, underscoring the need to verify update sources and plugin provenance.