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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Luke and Jonathan discuss the far-reaching consequences of Matt Mullenweg’s actions against WordPress Engine. From individual developers to large agencies, they examine how this conflict impacts the livelihoods of those deeply embedded in the WordPress ecosystem. Is this the kind of leadership WordPress needs going forward?

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.

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.

In this episode Jonathan and Luke reflect on their experience at WordCamp Asia, explore Luke’s vision for the Plugin Review Team and how to improve developer relations in the WordPress community.

In this episode, Luke and Jonathan discuss the role of WordPress themes in 2023, how block themes and the Full Site Editor have changed the landscape and where the line between themes and plug-ins should be. They also reflect on their current projects.

In this episode Luke and Jonathan talk about the ramifications of cloning the WordPress Plugin repository onto WordPress.com. How to do it in a way that keeps plugin developers onside, and as a bonus, Jonathan read the whole Terms of Service so you don’t have to.

In this episode Jonathan and Luke discuss the latest round of #WPDrama after WordPress.com cloned the WordPress.org plugin repository.

In this episode Luke and Jonathan disagree on who is to blame for intrusive ads inside of the WordPress admin Dashboard. They also cover some of the best practices and motivations of plugin developers, plus how to stop annoying the users.

In this episode Luke and Jonathan explore the complex world of WordPress plugin security and what really happens when a vulnerability is identified. The system could be better, but how do we fix it?

In this episode Joshua Wold fills in for Jonathan, discusses plugins, the value of good design in the onboarding process and what makes a strong product founder. Luke tries to bait him with comments about developer supremacy, but Joshua never took the bait.

In this episode Luke and Jonathan discuss their early WordCamp experiences and which is the best of the major WordCamps. They also discuss the latest news about the upcoming WordPress admin interface.

In this episode Luke and Jonathan share their vision for what open source business practices could look like. Jonathan even disagrees with Luke on wage transparency for no apparent reason. 

Luke and Jonathan talk about the highlights of WordPress 6.3, the steady transformation from blogging platform to operating system and the need for a contributor focused event in similar fashion to Apple’s WWDC.

Luke and Jonathan break into the new season talking about WordPress hosting, conflicts of interest, the importance of onboarding and the products that do it well (Luke also seems to have no idea what season we are recording).

In the season finale Luke and Jonathan discuss their future as professional e-sports athletes before returning to reality and talking about what happens when your product’s functionality comes to the WordPress core. 8 down: while( have_posts() )

In this episode Luke and Jonathan talk about WordCamps, how they are evolving and how they can foster the development of the WordPress community into the next generation. They also talk about the WordPress/Furry connection and Luke’s hidden musical talent. 11 across: Pre-designed layout

As WordPress turns 20 Jonathan and Luke reminisce about how WordPress has grown. They also explore the rapid leaps forward we are now experiencing due to AI. If you listen closely, you will also hear Luke get embarrassed by the name of one of his earliest companies. 6 Down: Twenty Twenty-Two was inspired by…

In today’s episode of cynic versus fanboy, (uh, I mean Crossword ) Luke and Jonathan discuss the gap between WooCommerce and Shopify plus the opportunities in the ecosystem. 10 Across: Open this on GitHub

Luke and Jonathan talk about Guildenberg, why Luke doesn’t love the name, WordCamp Asia, and the downside of hosts buying WordPress plugins. 5 Down: Transation, but shorter.

Luke and Jonathan talk about cricket, look back at WordPress in 2022, touch on ClassicPress, and look ahead to 2023. 9 Across: Stringify JSON

Luke and Jonathan talk about remote work, then jump into State of the Word, sharing highlights, exploring Luke’s reawakening interest in WordPress, and finding something to disagree on in the end. 3 Down: 5.9

Luke and Jonathan discuss a particular update in WordPress 6.1, why we’d like to see more hosting providers, and the voice of WordPress. 7 Across: WCEU22 was in…

Luke and Jonathan discuss rebuilding a WordPress web-app as a standalone SaaS using the FKIT stack. 2 Down: A built-in post type Links: More on FKIT

Luke and Jonathan talk about hosts, free riders, and plugin monetization, then take a sharp turn into murder mysteries in WordPress. 4 Across: Days since the last… Links: Hosts and the Free Rider Problem

Jonathan and Luke discuss how the “reverse chronological order” orientation of WordPress affected the web, and a “Digital Gardening" metaphor that might help fix it. 1 Down: Home of GiveWP, LearnDash, and RCP Links: Garden History