WordPress.com started out as a WordPressµ (WordPress Multi User) provider. Just a place for people to quickly start their own blogs, mainly hosted on a WordPress.com subdomain. To learn more about WordPress MU: https://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_MU
"WordPress hosting" is a relatively new option on WordPress.com. Pressable is a more advanced WordPress hosting provider, built by Automattic.
Obviously you don’t have to answer, but it feels like with Pressable as a product, WPE suddenly became a big competitor to the bottom line. It is here where the optics suddenly become shady. Like WPE has been running like they do for years, and now suddenly it is a big problem? Like why now?
Personally I also don’t like that the .org suddenly becomes weaponized. If this can be done to WPE, it can be done to anyone else really.
The real competitor in Automattics portfolio is Pressable. Who are currently running a poaching campaign on their frontpage.