WordPress Co-Founder Matt Mullenweg Sparks Controversy on Reddit

On Christmas Eve, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg took to Reddit, sparking a heated debate by asking what kind of drama he should create in 2025. He posted, “What drama should I create in 2025? I’m very open to suggestions. Should we stop naming releases after jazz musicians and name them after Drake lyrics? Eliminate all dashboard notices? Take over any plugins into core? Change from blue to purple? I think we can brainstorm together and come up with way better things than I could on my own. ☺️ Also, Merry Christmas! 🎄”

The Backlash

The post quickly amassed over 500 comments, but the community was far from being amused. A significant portion of the replies urged him to stop posting, step down, seek professional help, or take a break and avoid creating any drama. “For someone in your position, creating extraneous drama for these people is not only disrespectful, it’s outright psychopathic to the extent that it affects their ability to work and be productive,” read one comment from Stubby_Shillelagh.

Redditors React

Redditor WillmanRacing referenced a Sherman Act violation, suggesting sarcastically, “I have a fantastic idea for some drama we can get up to. Why don’t we create a charitable foundation governing our open source software product, instead of our for-profit company. Why don’t we also operate our main website as its own separate entity, charging $.05 per request to anything at WordPress.org.” Other users chimed in with their own ideas, including charging for WordPress services and creating a new, separate company.

Matt’s Response

Regarding the ongoing drama, Matt said, “We’ll look back on the WPE drama next year as something that seemed like a big deal at the time but isn’t that notable in the grand arc of history.” He signed off, saying, “I really do enjoy talking with people on the internet, even if we don’t always agree, and I appreciate everyone taking the time to share their perspective. Forums like this is how I got my start as a teenager. If you think Reddit is spicy, you should have seen Usenet and IRC back in the day! I hope you all have an amazing Christmas and very happy new year.”

The Discussion Spills Over to Twitter

The discussion spilled over to Twitter, too. Ryan Duff dubbed it “Just another day of very unhealthy and toxic behavior from WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg.” Takis Bouyouris tweeted, “Either Matt has crossed some sort of personal Rubicon, or it is hard to imagine how such pettiness could have been the attribute of one who led the project for so many years. Being lonely at the top, detached from reality and without healthy consult is a sign of a fading ruler. The Autumn of the Patriarch, by Gabriel García Márquez is a great novel on the topic.” Duane Storey tweeted, “Matt looking down at the #WordPress community on Reddit this Christmas eve, wondering why we are all still singing and enjoying ourselves without our WordPress.org toys.” Kellie Peterson exclaimed, “What fresh hell? This is what Matt Mullenweg is doing on Christmas Eve. He could be spending it with his alleged many godchildren, his mother, and his sister but instead he’s sowing chaos.”