Imagine outright stealing someone’s work. Getting called out on it. Then comes the blocking — because who wants to be held accountable, right? Next step: delete the evidence, followed by the big heartfelt post crafted ever so cleverly to appear deflective, misdirecting and even have the audacity to gaslight any designer who had an opinion on the Figma cease and desist situation. Pretty manipulative. Then, of course, re-release the exact same work under a new name with a shiny new visual treatment, as if we wouldn’t notice.
Cue the hundreds of thousands of followers piling in to kiss ass and praise it, terrified of saying anything remotely critical in case they get blocked too. It’s a masterclass in selective feedback loops — all validation, no confrontation.
This is textbook validation-confirmation. And the worrying part is, it signals to younger designers that this sort of behaviour is acceptable. That it’s okay to copy, dodge accountability, and then come out looking like the wounded hero. It’s not leadership — it’s performance.
Same guy blocked me a few months back. I actually wrote about it, then took some advice and deleted the post. Tried the mature route, messaged him directly — all very calm, very civil. Nothing. No reply. Still blocked. What a knob Jockey.
I used to have respect for the bloke, but after watching the same behavioural patterns repeat, it’s pretty clear there’s something deeper going on. The constant craving for approval — but only the positive kind — isn’t just fragile ego stuff, it’s psychological.
And here’s the real problem: when someone with that much visibility does this over and over again — and gets away with it — it chips away at the integrity of the entire design community on X. Makes the place feel less like a hub of inspiration and more like a pantomime where everyone’s too scared to boo.
Also I don’t give a shit about what anyone thinks of my opinion. I know I’m right. I’m long and deep enough in the game to know this type of behaviour is wrong on many levels. It’s unethical.