The irony of this move is that his main argument to keep people on his side over this has been that WP Engine has not been contributing. He's been saying over and over that he's doing this because they're not giving back.
Now, when he's already failed to bring the community on board with his attacks, he decides that his next move is to make a big show of stealing something that had he done nothing many people would not have realized was a WP Engine property, with the net effect of reminding people that WP Engine has been responsible for maintaining what is widely considered to be the most essential plugin in the ecosystem.
But that doesn't count as giving back because... reasons.
> Now, when he's already failed to bring the community on board with his attacks, he decides that his next move is to make a big show of stealing something that had he done nothing many people would not have realized was a WP Engine property, with the net effect of reminding people that WP Engine has been responsible for maintaining what is widely considered to be the most essential plugin in the ecosystem.
> But that doesn't count as giving back because... reasons.
I haven't used WordPress in years, but I've seen recent comments saying that WP Engine has been using ACF to market their hosting packages, even giving customers a "4 month trial" — not something a hosting provider really wants to see.
Now, when he's already failed to bring the community on board with his attacks, he decides that his next move is to make a big show of stealing something that had he done nothing many people would not have realized was a WP Engine property, with the net effect of reminding people that WP Engine has been responsible for maintaining what is widely considered to be the most essential plugin in the ecosystem.
But that doesn't count as giving back because... reasons.