TechnologyArts

Crossword

Jonathan Wold & Luke Carbis

Perspectives on WordPress and the Open Web.

Play

Open in

20 episodes
Avg 33 min
English

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

S11 · E10
August 5 · 53 min
Perspectives with Josepha Haden Chomphosy
Josepha joins Jonathan and Luke to discuss ecosystem thinking, municipal government, influence versus control, potholes, bathrooms, data centers, and AI in WordPress. Josepha shares her perspective on the three things everyone in WordPress wants and her hope for its future. Jonathan asks the easy question thirty minutes in and pulls the thread one more time. Luke complains about kids on e-bikes and appreciates a stretched metaphor.
S11 · E9
July 31 · 15 min
Bad Poetry
Jonathan and Luke discuss how plugin submissions have changed and recent activity on Trac. Luke opines on mass memory loss and draws a line in the sand. Jonathan learns a new word.
S11 · E8
July 29 · 48 min
Perspectives with Mike McAlister
Mike McAlister joins Luke and Jonathan to discuss space, astrophotography, design, naming a good product, transitional phases, nuclear energy, and themes. Mike shares his perspective on product creativity, the crossroads we're at in WordPress, and why he's betting everything on Ollie. Luke wonders if the WordPress market is even interested in AI and stands up for poetry. Jonathan connects the dots on something he'd missed and wonders what's next.
S11 · E7
July 16 · 15 min
Useful
Luke and Jonathan discuss the recent Code for the People documentary, WordCamps, and growth in the WordPress community. Jonathan accepts a challenge for WordCamp US and Luke reflects on values.
S11 · E6
July 10 · 1 hr 1 min
Perspectives with Sé Reed
Sé Reed joins Jonathan and Luke to discuss WordPress contribution, community, dictatorship, leadership, accountability, optimism, exploitation, and what happens next. Sé shares her perspective and the impact that the past few years have had on her experience as a contributor. Jonathan has an "ah ha" moment about trust, Luke suggests a shift in focus, and Sé invites Luke back.
S11 · E5
July 7 · 15 min
Relic of the Past
Jonathan and Luke discuss AI usage in the plugin review queue and the impact of increased submission volume. Luke offers an existential question, Jonathan crosses the line, and Luke asks listeners for input on his idea.
S11 · E4
July 1 · 56 min
Perspectives with Amy Kamala
Amy Kamala joins Luke and Jonathan to discuss art, poetry, biology, and how decisions get made in the WordPress project. Amy shares her perspective on the human element in automation, Luke expresses his love for contributors over contributions, and Jonathan offers insight into why he and Luke are still together.
S11 · E3
June 25 · 15 min
Fun & Games
Luke and Jonathan discuss the upcoming WordCamp Europe and their mixed feelings about Matt’s latest appeal. Jonathan expresses a dichotomy he’s trying to work through and Luke expresses his disappointment in Jonathan’s latest work.
S11 · E2
May 1 · 15 min
Radical Speed Month
Luke has a change of heart about Matt’s renewed involvement and Jonathan gushes over Desktop Mode. They discuss the Presence API and the new WordPress.org Janitors channel. Jonathan makes a basketball reference that goes over Luke’s head.
S11 · E1
April 24 · 15 min
Bridges
Jonathan and Luke are back and kickoff the season with an uncomprehensive recap of recent events. Luke offers his thoughts on Matt’s reemergence into the project and Jonathan offers his take on where the opportunity is for WordPress in the new world of AI.
S10 · E20
April 21 · 15 min
Bonus: WordCamp Asia
Luke goes solo to WordCamp Asia and records a bonus episode of Crossword. He narrates his contributor day experience, monologues delightfully through day one and two, and, sadly, avoids all cricket references. A special thanks to Kinsta for sponsoring this episode.
S10 · E19
April 21 · 15 min
Finale
Luke and Jonathan bring season 10 to a close. Jonathan attempts to reflect on the Crossword decalogy and Luke isn't having it. They end up talking about AI instead which, of course, was much more interesting.
S10 · E18
April 19 · 58 min
Perspectives with Miriam Schwab
Miriam Schwab joins Luke and Jonathan to discuss the Elementor ecosystem, what other product companies can learn from its growth, and how Elementor thinks about its relationship with the wider WordPress project. Luke asks a question about dependency, Jonathan geeks out about ecosystem thinking, and Miriam welcomes ideas from listeners.
S10 · E17
February 11 · 15 min
Newsroom
Jonathan and Luke talk through the upcoming end of the Crossword season. They discuss WP Engine’s new offering and offer their speculations. Luke brings up the new Agent Skills project and steps up onto his soapbox.
S10 · E16
February 10 · 48 min
Perspectives with Jonathan Desrosiers
Jonathan and Luke have a chat with Jonathan Desrosiers, WordPress Core Committer and Principle Software Engineer at Bluehost. They discuss a recent episode of Crossword and a preview of Desrosiers's now published blog post. Wold asks for clarity on do-acracy vs meritocracy and the three discuss the importance of both active and passive contributions. Desrosiers offers his guidance for new contributors.
S10 · E15
February 3 · 15 min
Big Picture Goals
Luke and Jonathan discuss plugin piracy then segue into the WordPress project’s goals for 2026. Luke has mixed feelings about the AI emphasis and Jonathan resurrects the idea of WordPress as an operating system, to Luke’s chagrin.
S10 · E14
January 30 · 55 min
Perspectives with Jeff Paul
Luke and Jonathan catch up with Jeff Paul, VP of Open Source Solutions at Fueled and an active contributor to the WordPress project for the past decade. They discuss Jeff's contribution journey, their shared agency experiences, and thoughts on the upcoming 7.0 release. Luke introduces the concept of cool and dodgy versions of WordPress and Jeff shares guidance for newcomers to contribution.
S10 · E13
January 20 · 15 min
New Year
Luke kicks off Crossword with a surprise and Jonathan rolls with it. They discuss fresh WordPress drama, the plugin review team’s use (or non-use) of AI, and Luke shares his take on AI in WordPress plugins.
S10 · E12
January 16 · 50 min
Perspectives with Rae Morey
Luke and Jonathan enjoy a conversation with Rae Morey, publisher of The Repository. Rae shares her origin story and they discuss the top stories of 2025. Luke expresses his optimism for 2026 and Jonathan asks Rae about the sustainability of The Repository itself. Oh, and AI, of course.
S10 · E11
Dec 23, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Perspectives with Tammie Lister
Tammie Lister joins Luke and Jonathan to discuss vibe coding, product thinking, and breaking free from a designer typecast into a reputation for product engineering. They also discuss the importance and relevance of WordPress, themes, and cricket.

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes