The BBC is reporting that one of the world’s biggest web publishing platforms – used by a large chunk of the internet – is locked in a spat which is affecting thousands of businesses worldwide.
While most of the work WordPress does is not seen by internet users, it says its behind-the-scenes web-building tools power 40 per cent of the world’s websites.
That means its disagreement with a company called WP Engine is causing disruption to the huge number businesses that rely on the two organisations to keep their websites running.
Tricia Fox, who runs an agency that manages about 70 websites – and is caught up in the row – told the BBC that she can’t run a business on this level of uncertainty.
According to Daniel Card, fellow of BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, the very wide use of WordPress makes it “crucial to the internet”.
But he says that also means “its actions definitely have a big ripple effect online”, – a ripple effect firms like Tricia Fox’s are starting to really feel.