A WordPress scandal from 20 years ago may offer insight into Mullenweg’s resistance to criticism in his WP Engine conflict today.
In a recent interview, Matt Mullenweg referenced three scandals and controversies from his past that have been long forgotten to show how it’s possible that the WP Engine scandal will also be forgotten. One of the examples he cited, the Hot Nacho Scandal, led Google to ban WordPress.org, caused Mullenweg to be rebuked by influential tech leaders, and resulted in bad press in the mainstream media. Yet as bad as that all sounds, his responses to that situation at the time give context for his statements in relation to how the current situation will be remembered in the future.
Matt Recalls Three Forgotten Controversies
In a part of the interview where Matt downplays the current WP Engine (WPE) dispute he cited three scandals and controversies from the past ten to twenty years to show how he’s made mistakes and also how he has not shied away from an aggressive attention-getting defense of the WordPress open source project and yet with time it’s mostly been forgotten. He cited three controversies as examples of how the WP Engine controversy can also be forgotten with time, perhaps giving an insight into Matt’s thinking about it.
He cited three incidents:
1. The 2005 Hot Nacho Scandal
2. The 2007 Easter Theme Massacre
3. The Chris Pearson Thesis Conflict
The Thesis controversy is relatively recent but the other two go back almost two decades. The Hot Nacho incident was intense not unlike the situation Mullenweg finds himself to day with WP Engine and may explain where he gets his strength to carry on in the fight with WP Engine.
ExploreMartech Newsfor the latest advancements in Marketing Technology & insightful updates from industry experts!
Source : https://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-wordpress-hot-nacho-scandal-shapes-wp-engine-dispute/539069/