When I first saw this, I thought, "Oh good, finally Automattic has something to compete with Page.ly, WP Engine, and Synthesis (i.e. managed WordPress hosting).

When I first saw this, I thought, "Oh good, finally Automattic has something to compete with Page.ly, WP Engine, and Synthesis (i.e. managed WordPress hosting)." But then I read their prices. The other guys all have managed WP hosting plans starting at under $30/month. Maybe Automattic is playing the old game "If we charge crazy high prices, the Enterprise customers will think we're better, thinking, 'you get what you pay for.' The other guys will look like cheap crap." Their scheme will probably work. Automattic has a lot of cred. Red Hat and Acquia play the same game. It sounds like a good business, if you can get into it! (Disclaimer: I have my personal website on wordpress.com service [the free version]. I'm also doing a trial with Synthesis.)