It’s a little wild that I’ve been using WordPress longer than I’ve been in the (professional) workforce. Something I think about a lot is how impactful WordPress has been on not only my life, but the life of the new web, and how the early decision to empower creators with the four freedoms of the GPL set forth entire product, business, and social decisions about how and why to use WordPress.
All creators are free to run, study, share, and modify the software. This means any kid with a mind to start a podcast in 2006 could install WordPress on their laptop, immediately learn how bad of an idea that was and install it somewhere else, and then proceed to make a career out of collaborating with others to make and make better that same software, all without asking anybody for permission or paying a licensing fee. When I think about everything I’ve learned over the years about how web sites, databases, servers, and the network connections that tie them all together, it all comes back to WordPress.
I’d like to someday, but so far haven’t had much to contribute to Core, and a beautiful thing about open source is that’s OK. You can use open source software to empower others to contribute to core, or you can use it to make an impact on your local community. From the smallest non-profit in your town, to the largest entities governments, or the world’s biggest companies: WordPress is at the core of success around the world.
Thank you, WordPress, for the first twenty, the next twenty, and scores more to come.