008: The Websites We're Building Are Broken w/ Chris Pearson

On this episode of WP Townhall, we chatted with Chris Pearson, a name that might ring some bells – he created the first million-dollar WordPress theme and made waves in 2010 during his GPL licensing dispute with Matt Mullenweg. We dove into Chris's provocative take on why modern websites are broken, exploring how the rise of social media has fundamentally changed user behavior and why he believes this requires a complete rethinking of web design. 

Things got particularly interesting when Chris shared his perspective on horizontal layouts, navigation menus, and his theory that websites are no longer destinations but rather "off-ramps" from social media and email. We also explored his new web platform project, which sparked a fascinating discussion about open source, licensing, and the future of web development. 

Matt Medeiros joined us near the end to bring up open source philosophy and what it really means in practice. Throughout the episode, Chris challenged conventional wisdom about web design and content management systems, offering a unique perspective that, whether you agree with it or not, provides plenty to think about.

Want to participate in the next episode? Follow @thekevingeary and @markjszymanski on X and look for WP Townhall Spaces scheduled events. Visit wptownhall.show for upcoming episodes and additional resources.