Inside the WordPress tweet that turned a small plugin bug into a full-blown branding headache

WordPress X account backlash over FAIR trolling

WordPress' normally upbeat official X account veered into sarcasm by posting a jab at the FAIR (Federated And Independent Repositories) project after a user hit a plugin update failure. The post mocked FAIR's reliability and closed with a pun about "REST," clearly riffing on the REST API.

That tone is drawing immediate criticism from developers who see FAIR as a serious attempt to prevent any single company or individual from cutting off plugin updates, an issue that exploded when Matt Mullenweg blocked WP Engine's access in 2025. In its official FAIR project writing, the Linux Foundation pitches FAIR as vendor neutral insurance for open source CMS stability.

Replies in the thread describe the tweet as childish, petty, and toxic, with some prominent voices saying they now feel embarrassed to be associated with WordPress the brand even while they still rely on WordPress the software. Long-time community member Jono Alderson reflected on feeling ashamed of WordPress-the-brand while still loving WordPress-the-software, a contrast that is resonating widely across the community.

The headline narrative spreading through X is not really about one FAIR bug, but about how an official channel used a customer problem as an opportunity to gloat, in a way that feels off brand for a project built on community trust.

Quick pulse

Key beats from the chatter across X and WordPress focused circles right now:

• Official @WordPressorg tweet ridicules FAIR after a 1.2.1 update bug forces some users to manually patch plugins, prompting accusations of "childish" and "unprofessional" behavior from staff tied to the brand.
• Long-time community members distinguish between loving WordPress as a CMS and feeling ashamed of WordPress as a corporate controlled brand voice, with calls for whoever wrote the tweet to be removed from account access.
• Hidden replies in the thread calling the post toxic, immature, and "shameful leadership" are adding a second wave of frustration around transparency and moderation choices on an account that represents open source values.
• FAIR itself is under scrutiny for the fatal error in version 1.2.1, yet sympathy leans toward "early stage project hit a bug," while WordPress' reaction is framed as punching down on volunteers and contributors.
• One reply celebrates the idea that AI tools will make WordPress obsolete, tying this drama to a broader narrative that generative models and hosted site builders will gradually replace traditional plugin driven CMS setups.

Overall mood: irritation, disappointment, and some dark humor - not panic, but a noticeable dent in goodwill toward the WordPress leadership layer.

Buzz blocks

Conversation is clustering around a few clear themes: tone and professionalism of official accounts, risk in the plugin supply chain, and what "open" really means when replies and access can be switched off. Below are the most active blocks of discussion marketers are watching and sometimes jumping into.

WordPress official account mocks FAIR after real-world update failure

What people say: Developers are upset that the @WordPressorg tweet used a user's broken updates as material for a joke instead of empathy or support. Many see it as leadership cheering for a competitor's stumble, even though FAIR exists partly because of WordPress' own past decision to cut off WP Engine updates.

Developer @RapidLightnings responded by calling the behavior "childish and unprofessional," while others like @daveloodts shared the thread while asking whether WordPress.org "never had issues" itself.

Signal: High velocity within WordPress X circles, with multiple quote tweets from SEO and plugin voices plus recognizable community leaders weighing in.

Representative quote:

"These people working at or for WordPress are so childish and unprofessional." [T3]

Why marketers care: Official brand channels mocking customer pain points can quickly erode trust, especially when competitors or regulators already question platform power.

Hidden replies anger community and raise transparency concerns

What people say: Many replies calling the tweet toxic or shameful appear in X's hidden replies section. Developers accuse whoever runs the account of curating away criticism while still framing the project as open and community driven.

One reply from @o_be_one called this take "toxic" for an open source project and was reportedly hidden. Another community member @genericrohan called the post by the official WordPress account immature and short sighted, urging leadership to "grow up." Short but pointed reactions like @aronprins' one word "Ewww" response are also getting traction.

Others, including @thisbitoo, commented that the whole episode reflects "shameful leadership," pushing criticism beyond a single tweet and onto WordPress' governance culture.

Signal: Rapid spread within the WordPress X bubble, with screenshots of hidden replies circulating alongside captions about poor stewardship of an open source brand.

Representative quote:

"For an OpenSource project, your take is toxic af." [T4]

Why marketers care: Moderation choices on owned channels now shape brand perception in real time. Hiding criticism can feel worse than letting it stand, especially for brands that trade on transparency and community.

FAIR bug sparks debate about decentralization and resilience

What people say: Users confirm that FAIR Connect 1.2.1 shipped with a fatal error, forcing a manual update via dashboard or SFTP. Some call it too experimental for production sites, while others remind critics that WordPress core and major plugins have shipped serious bugs before.

User @EidolonNight first posted about the failed updates, then shared more detail and follow up thoughts about rolling sites back to stock updates and treating FAIR as an experiment rather than production critical.

Signal: Spreading mainly among technically minded admins and plugin authors; FAIR's own release notes acknowledging the bug are being shared as a sign of transparency.

Representative quote:

"Glad this was just a 'for fun' site... Going back to stock updates, at least until 2.0." [T2]

Why marketers care: Vendors that power revenue driving sites, including plugin ecosystems, carry platform risk. Decentralization projects like FAIR are framed as insurance against unilateral switches being flipped by a single platform owner.

AI-will-kill-WordPress meme resurfaces in the thread

What people say: One reply gleefully claims they are "SO HAPPY that AI is ending WordPress for good," using the incident as proof that legacy CMS culture is petty and out of touch. The comment is being circulated as a screenshot outside the immediate dev bubble, with @CoryLCurtis using this moment to argue WordPress leadership would "steal" ideas from other developers, while @DaveitFerrisxo's posts celebrate a future without WordPress.

Signal: Niche but loud, tying this dust up into a longer running narrative that generative AI plus hosted builders will replace manual plugin maintenance.

Representative quote:

"SO HAPPY that AI is ending WordPress for good. Ciao CattyMatty" [T8]

Why marketers care: AI forward competitors will use any misstep from incumbent platforms as proof they are outdated. Episodes like this can subtly influence long term stack choices, especially for new builds that are still evaluating CMS options.

Fact check and caveats

Most of the chatter referenced here comes from a single X thread captured in Search Engine Journal's reporting plus replies visible on X at time of writing. The FAIR bug that triggered this started with version 1.2.1 of FAIR Connect, which FAIR's own blog confirms in its 1.2.2 release notes as causing a fatal error during updates and requiring a manual fix, so complaints about broken updates are grounded in real behavior, not fabricated screenshots.

WordPress' snarky tweet is quoted widely but the exact engagement numbers (impressions, likes, reposts) are not publicly summarized in credible sources, so any claim about its total reach would be guesswork.

Hidden replies are verifiable via X's "hidden replies" view, though it is not clear why specific replies were hidden or who made that choice. Claims that "AI is ending WordPress" are opinion and speculation; no reliable data shows a direct causal link between this incident and any traffic or market share shift.

No AI generated screenshots or images appear central to the current discussion, but marketers should assume some memes circulating around the incident may have been edited for drama.

Sources

Source IDs correspond to the shorthand tags used above; timestamps are approximate when not explicitly provided in the article.

• [T2] X - @EidolonNight FAIR plugin update issue thread on manual updates and reverting to stock updates, 2026-01-12 (posted, more, thoughts).
• [T3] X - @RapidLightnings reply calling WordPress behavior childish and unprofessional, 2026-01-12 (responded).
• [T4] X - @o_be_one reply labeling the official take "toxic" for an open source project, seen in hidden replies, 2026-01-12 (this).
• [T5] X - @genericrohan reply criticizing "immature and short-sighted actions" from leadership, 2026-01-12 (called the post by the official WordPress account immature).
• [T6] X - @jonoalderson thread on being ashamed of WordPress the brand vs loving WordPress the software, 2026-01-12 (reflected).
• [T7] X - @thisbitoo reply describing the situation as "shameful leadership," 2026-01-12 (commented).
• [T8] X - @DaveitFerrisxo reply claiming AI is "ending WordPress for good," 2026-01-12 (posts).
• [T9] X - @CoryLCurtis reply alleging WordPress would "steal" a clue from another developer, 2026-01-12 (this).
• [T10] X - @daveloodts reply challenging Matt and asking whether WordPress.org "never had issues," 2026-01-12 (shared).
• [B1] Web - FAIR blog "FAIR Connect 1.2.2 Release Announcement" describing the 1.2.1 fatal error and manual update requirement, 2025-12-24 (release notes).
• [B2] Web - Linux Foundation announcement of the FAIR Package Manager project and its goals for CMS stability (writing).