They extract value from an open source project, use the resources/bandwidth of plugin repositories, position(ed) themselves as WordPress affiliated (the branding can easily be understood as WPengine being core WordPress), and contribute nothing back. It is the “socialize the losses, privatize the profits” of open source.
> use the resources/bandwidth of plugin repositories
As does every single other host that offers WordPress, and every user.
> position(ed) themselves as WordPress affiliated (the branding can easily be understood as WPengine being core WordPress)
One: "WP" was explicitly allowed, by WordPress, for use of WordPress. Matt yoinked this after all of this started, in the last two weeks or so. He also tried to make it retroactive.
Two: nominative usage says that if you factually offer WordPress hosting (or MySQL hosting, or whatever), you are allowed to say so. It doesn't mean you are maliciously "positioning yourself" as "affiliated", in any way, shape or form.
> and contribute nothing back
Not true at all, despite Matt's venom. They contribute and maintain several of the most popular plugins, they contribute to the codebase (just not to Matt's liking), and sponsor conferences and community events - this all started around the time that they sponsored a WordPress conference to the tune of $75,000 and then were banned from attending it, which is odd, because supposedly WordPress (the open source project) and the Foundation are independent (per all of their own filings with regulatory bodies and the IRS), but they were banned because they were in a dispute with Automattic (CEO - Matt), so WordPress Foundation (President - Matt) decided so. To add insult to injury, banned, but they decided to keep the sponsorship money.
