Matt Mullenweg began a Reddit dialogue within the r/WPDrama subreddit asking what sort of drama he can create in 2025, sparking an avalanche of responses that subsequently generated a derivative dialogue about one among his responses to a different Redditor.
The general public r/WPDrama subreddit was created in October 2024 as a spot to debate the fallout from Mullenweg’s battle with WP Engine. It presently has over 1,300 members.
Mullenweg And Drama
Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of the WordPress CMS (Content material Administration System), was concerned in a self-described “nuclear” battle with WP Engine within the latter half of 2024. The battle has typically brought on a damaging backlash towards Mullenweg and has led to a name for a restructuring of the governance of the open supply WordPress undertaking by Joost de Valk (co-founder of the Yoast search engine marketing Plugin).
So it was considerably stunning that he confirmed up on Reddit asking what additional drama may he fire up in 2025. The publish was provocatively titled: What drama ought to I create in 2025?
His intent for the publish was not about creating precise drama however quite it was about what adjustments could possibly be made to WordPress. The publish title gave the impression to be a tongue in cheek however provocative alternative for the Reddit dialogue.
Mullenweg posted:
“I’m very open to strategies. Ought to we cease naming releases after jazz musicians and identify them after Drake lyrics? Remove all dashboard notices? Take over any plugins into core? Change from blue to purple?
I feel we are able to brainstorm collectively and provide you with means higher issues than I may by myself. ☺️ Additionally, Merry Christmas!”
His dialogue starter generated almost 600 responses, seemingly all of them damaging.
The moderator of the subreddit pinned their response to the highest of the dialogue, which partially reads:
“I’ve a implausible concept for some drama we are able to stand up to. Why don’t we create a charitable basis governing our open supply software program product, as an alternative of our for-profit firm. Why don’t we additionally function our foremost web site as its personal separate entity, with workers and volunteers supplied by one more entity. Then, why dont we’ve all of those entities take motion towards one among our opponents and their whole buyer base, refusing to do enterprise with any clients till they cease working with our competitor. Why don’t we ban ALL of these folks from our providers, and attempt to compel them to make use of our service as an alternative?”
That just about set the tone for all the dialogue.
ryanduff answered Matt’s question with:
“You need to log out and discover a good therapist”
Matt Mullenweg responded:
“Hello Ryan, freelance WordPress developer. I’m glad that WordPress and WooCommerce have been instruments which have supplied you some utility and financial profit previously, and hopefully once more sooner or later. Your profile notes your sturdy non secular perception, I’d ask earlier than you publish one thing like this once more you ask: WWJD?”
WWJD is an acronym for “What Would Jesus Do?” Redditors responded with riffs on that remark.
His response obtained 85 downvotes, representing the displeasure and unpopularity of his publish with different Redditors. One of many responses to his WWJD publish referenced the federal decide who granted WP Engine’s request for a preliminary injunction.
They posted:
“What would Decide (Araceli Martínez-Olguín) do? We’ll see.”
One other Redditor responded:
“Perhaps you need to ask your self WWJD (What Would Joost Do)”
That department of the dialogue went utterly off the rails with varied strategies of what Mullenweg ought to do and spawned a standalone dialogue titled, “Is Matt low-key threatening or attempting to intimidate this r/WPDrama user?”
That spinoff dialogue spawned responses such as this one:
“He both thinks it’s humorous, likes the eye, or is thus far gone psychologically it doesn’t occasion register in his thoughts that your / our views matter in any respect. I’d guess it’s a mixture of the entire above.
The perfect factor we are able to all do is break from WP utterly and withdraw all volunteering, all monetary interactions, minimize utilizing it, cease recommending it, and use one thing else for purchasers, or use a fork.
He was having fun with being a bully earlier than he picked on WP Engine and now’s shedding the plot as they are saying and hopefully Joost can begin his personal fork that can lastly be supported and marketed effectively sufficient to get going or can organize some type of ouster of spoiled child MM.”
Matt Mullenweg’s Response To The Negativity
The response to his dialogue was overwhelmingly damaging. Nonetheless Mullenweg ended his participation by wishing everybody a Merry Christmas.
He posted:
“I’m signing off for the evening, it’s time for household film time. Thanks for the dialog everybody. 🙂 I actually do take pleasure in speaking with folks on the web, even when we don’t all the time agree, and I respect everybody taking the time to share their perspective. Boards like that is how I acquired my begin as a young person. Should you assume Reddit is spicy, you need to have seen Usenet and IRC again within the day! I hope you all have a tremendous Christmas and really completely happy new 12 months.”
That comparatively upbeat publish obtained seven down votes.
Learn all the dialogue right here:
What drama should I create in 2025?
Featured Picture by Shutterstock/STILLFX
