3 Things We Can learn From The Chris vs. Matt Show

There’s a nasty argument happening in one of the main online web design/development communities right now. It’s between Matt Mullenweg of WordPress and Chris Pearson of Thesis, a popular premium WordPress theme/framework. The basic argument is that the Thesis theme doesn’t adhere to the GPL License that WordPress uses. Matt believes it should, Chris disagrees.

I’m not going to get into the ins & outs of who is right or wrong – I’m finding it more interesting observing the fallout and impact that this is having on both sides of the table – business- and reputation-wise. Once again, it makes me breathe a huge sigh of relief that our disagreement with someone last year was carried out (on our side at least) behind closed doors and out of the public eye.

There are a few things that can be learned from what’s going on…

#1 Mud sticks

While the furore will no doubt die down, the reputation of those involved on both sides will suffer. It’s not just about direct sales of their products, it’s about who will likely want to partner or be associated with them in the long term.

Thesis has had some pretty big backers to date – Chris Brogan, Brian Clark – but you have to ask what these guys think of the way that Chris Pearson has behaved recently and whether it’ll give them pause for thought about associating with him in the future.

The moral of the story: Consider how your actions & reactions reflect on those with whom you work both directly & indirectly – and on those with whom you would like to work in the future.

#2 Dirty tactics harm everyone

One tactic being used is deliberately designed to directly harm and undermine the other person’s business – it’s ugly, mean and underhand. Matt is offering to buy a different premium theme for anyone who switches from Thesis. While Matt has come out looking slightly better than Chris in the battle so far, it’s this tactic which I believe is doing him the most harm.

He’s behaving like a bully of the worst kind and leveraging his considerable influence & support to co-ordinate a direct attack on Chris’s business. If this is what happens when you go up against the creator of WordPress, woebetide anyone who does. It’s guerilla warfare at its ugliest.

The moral of the story: Don’t use dirty tactics, even when faced with them yourself – they won’t just harm your adversary, they’ll harm you too.

#3 Egos are good; but only to a point

Chris Pearson has shown himself to have a massive ego…Quote from Chris: “I’ve been arguably one of the top 3 most important figures in the history wordpress“.

I personally think that any successful entrepreneur needs a healthy ego to succeed in the long term but when it starts to get in the way so much so that it prevents you from seeing sense, that’s when it becomes a problem. From the outside looking in, it seems that this is what Chris is experiencing now.

The moral of the story: Nurture a healthy ego but make sure you have structures in place to give you a nudge when it becomes a limiting factor. A mastermind group or advisory council are 2 such structures.

It’s a real shame that this argument is having such a divisive effect on what has always been an active, supportive community – both Chris and Matt need to find a way to resolve this (even if this means going to court) so that the community can get back to doing what it does best…building websites & blogs that work.