Striking New York Times Tech Employees Are Asking the Public to Skip Wordle

It's kind of wild to think about how far web-based games have come since the dawn of computer time. As someone whose formative teen years were spent in the 1990s, I have strong memories of playing "Oregon Trail" or "Carmen Sandiego" on my huge PC. Both were advertised as educational, though it's hard to imagine what one learns when their character dies from dysentery halfway through the game.

As computers got smaller, games stretched out into world-building juggernauts like "The Sims."

Pretty soon we could play games on our cell phones, which brings us all the way to the time of "Words with Friends" and of course "Wordle." The latter was developed in October 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an immediate hit, due largely to the fact that you played with pals. It was a nice way to hang out safely.

Fast forward to November 2024 where the Wordle strike is going strong. As a warning, it involves not playing the beloved game. Here's what we know.

On Nov. 4, 2024, the NewsGuild of New York X (formerly Twitter) account shared a statement from The New York Times Tech Guild. They were going on strike, and the timing was intentional. This union is responsible for the technology needed to cover the election and the guild understood that their absence would threaten the coverage of the 2024 election.

Apart from picketing in front of The New York Times building from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the guild was respectfully requesting that users refrain from playing "popular NYT games such as Wordle and Connections, as well as not use the NYT cooking app." That's easier said than done, during a time when relaxing with a game could ease election-related stress. Still, this would be in pursuit of a good goal.

Tech workers were very concerned about remote/hybrid word protections, "just cause" job protections (which have been in place for decades), limits on subcontracting, and of course equal/fair pay. This came on the heels of multiple founds of bargaining, during which Times management has "engaged in numerous labor law violations, including implementing return-to-office mandates without bargaining" and intimidating guild members.

To show solidarity for the striking tech workers, folks on social media were included to use #BreakMyStreak which references those who play and win everyday. Asking people to break their streak for any amount of time is a big deal, but many users were happy to do so. "I don’t cross picket lines, physical or online. 'Union' is the only five letter word worth a damn right now," posted one person on X.

Another supporter said, "My brother and dad and I have all been really into Connections and Strands lately, but they wouldn't exist without the hard work of these awesome fellow nerds." They went on to say, "Feels weird to not play them today but I'm more than happy to #BreakMyStreak in solidarity."

A statement from Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha was provided to Polygon. In it, she said the outlet looked forward to their ongoing negotiation but pointed out The New York Times tech employees were some of the highest-paid workers in their field. She also said they were disappointed by the timing as it is "both unnecessary and at odds with our mission."