Season 7

Crossword Season 7, September – November 2024.

Existential Threat

Is WordPress facing an existential threat? In the premier of Season 7, Luke and Jonathan discuss Matt Mullenweg and WP Engine. They explore the implications of Matt’s recent actions, whether or not the benefit of the doubt applies, and the ramifications to the broader community.

Scorched Earth

Existential wasn’t hyperbole. In this episode, Luke and Jonathan react to the breaking news of WordPress.org cutting off access to WP Engine servers, effectively crippling over a million websites. They unpack the potential motivations and ramifications of this unprecedented move by Matt Mullenweg.

Scorched Earth

Existential wasn’t hyperbole. In this episode, Luke and Jonathan react to the breaking news of WordPress.org cutting off access to WP Engine servers, effectively crippling over a million websites. They unpack the potential motivations and ramifications of this unprecedented move by Matt Mullenweg.

Tithe & Taxes

WP Engine mirrored the WordPress.org repository, sparking a conversation about centralization and control. In this episode, Luke and Jonathan discuss the technicalities of mirroring, the potential for fragmentation, and whether Matt Mullenweg’s invitation for others to “step up” is sincere.

Departure

Josepha Haden Chomphosy, a leading voice in the WordPress project, has stepped down. Luke sees this as a canary in the coal mine, but Jonathan remains optimistic that there are better times ahead. Can Matt turn it around or is this the beginning of a mass exodus?

Problemattic

Even the most optimistic members of the WordPress community are feeling down. In this episode of Crossword, Jonathan and Luke grapple with the emotional weight of Matt Mullenweg’s actions, including a bizarre new login requirement on WordPress.org, and question whether a “war” is truly the best path forward.

Stages

Matt Mullenweg’s actions over the past few weeks raises a fundamental question: What does success look like for an open-source project? Luke and Jonathan discuss the weekends’ events, ask more questions than they answer, and work through the stages of grief.

Threshold

Luke has reached a point of acceptance about the future of WordPress, but that doesn’t mean he’s giving up. Join the conversation as he and Jonathan explore the different paths forward, from Matt Mullenweg’s potential departure to the emergence of a more unified and empowered community.

Identity Crisis

Matt Mullenweg’s actions have sparked an identity crisis within the WordPress community. Luke and Jonathan grapple with the realization that their sense of belonging and purpose is intertwined with a project that might be slipping away. Can they find a way to reconcile their personal investments with the unsettling reality of WordPress today?

De-escalation

Is the WordPress drama finally winding down? Jonathan senses a de-escalation, but Luke points out there are still some unsettling loose ends. They discuss new data on WordPress growth, the departure of more plugins from WordPress.org, and the lingering questions about the future of the project.