@photomatt I really hope you are okay and I am concerned. When WP came out with their VIP service(s), it "took" about 5-7 of the highest profile clients one could ever have, from our company. Were we upset about it sure, but if our clients needs were better served, that's business. We hoped that they would at some point be back, as we did our best to provide amazing service to them. But, we understood that you and your sister companies were the builder of the ecosystem and it was hard to counter that.
What you did here to
@wpengine was completely shocking and quite honestly, unfathomable. I/We have no relation to them and have no skin in this fight. You clearly have issues with them as a business, but to publicly call them out in the manner in which you did, wreaks. Your personal and professional level of success is highly admirable, but you've lost touch, and it appears as an outsider, your echo chamber (and the people who advise you) are actually doing you harm. Your misguided words have actionable consequences and I cannot believe that you would lower your standards to such a guttural level.
There are many WP* companies and some of them more successful than WPengine, like Webpros. They have WPsquared, they have WPToolkit, are you going to go after them next? To what end?
You have responsibilities greater than the average person, please understand and utilize that gift carefully. If you want to talk, reach out as you know how to get ahold of me.