Matt Mullenweg writes a love letter to WordPress on its 10th anniversary

This is pretty adorable and one of the sweetest things we have seen on the internet. To mark the 10th anniversary of WordPress, founder Matt Mullenweg has written the most touching love letter to the world’s most popular content management system (CMS).

He begins his letter by remembering the early days as a teenager and how WordPress went from a “cute” platform so afraid of colour to becoming something so beautiful.

The letter exposes Mullenweg’s deep and personal relationship with building the CMS, his mistakes and his sense of guilt. He talks about being “supported” by the platform and being given another chance.

You showed the world you were growing up, and how much you cared about design and typography and other platonic ideals. You knew that open source didn’t have to be homely. I stretched myself too thin trying to get you there, and I did a stupid thing to pay for it. I hurt you, but instead of casting me away you held me closer, supported me, gave me another chance. I will never forget that. Akismet made me feel less guilty. I wouldn’t change anything, because the mistake made me understand how important it is to fly straight and take your time.

The internet entrepreneur’s hard work in building the CMS has paid off. WordPress is used by major publishing houses such as CNN and the New York Times, and influential blogs like TechCrunch. The CMS has been making publishing easy for a decade.

Reading Mullenweg’s letter, deeply powerful and emotional, shows clearly that WordPress is not just this thing he built but the love of his life.

You’re so beautiful… I’m continually amazed and delighted by how you’ve grown. Your awkward years are behind you. Best of all, through it all, you’ve stuck with the principles that got you started in the first place. You’re always changing but that never changes. You’re unafraid to try new things that may seem wacky or unpopular at first.

Happy 10th birthday WordPress.