A finite group G is called weakly ab-maximal if |H: [H, H]| ⩽ |G: [G, G]| for all H ⩽ G. Do weakly ab-maximal groups have bounded derived length? It is known that weakly ab-maximal groups are direct products of weakly abmaximal p-groups (F. Lisi, L. Sabatini, J. Group Theory, 27 (2024), 1203-1217). This is Kourovka Notebook Problem 21.114.