We could say that BuddyPress has a friend in Automattic, but following a recent development, it’s actually more accurate to say that BuddyPress is a friend in Automattic. BuddyPress was acquired by the WordPress parent company.

On https://buddypress.org/, a single line of text states, “BuddyPress will transform a vanilla installation of WordPress MU into a social network platform.” In a post on his blog, Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, explain why this idea is of interest to him.

“It’s clear that the future is social,” Mullenweg writes. “Connections are key. WordPress MU is a platform which has shown itself to be able to operate at Internet-scale and with BuddyPress we can make it friendlier. Someday, perhaps, the world will have a truly Free and Open Source alternative to the walled gardens and open-only-in-API platforms that currently dominate our social landscape.”

With the implication being that Automattic and BuddyPress might be the ones to bring the alternative into existence.

We’re not there yet, though, and Mullenweg didn’t say anything further on the matter. Also left unsaid are BuddyPress’s purchase price and the terms under which its creator, Andy Peatling, agreed to work for Automattic.