There seems to be a certain amount of rockstar self-delusion going on there - instead of focusing on the "newcomers" that he believes are copying his "brand/model/product strategy", Adii could have retained his early lead by innovating beyond just making great-looking themes ... gloss != innovation.

Instead, he let those newcomers pioneer frameworks and non-subscription based revenue models, a pretty bad strategic mistake that will become more obvious as WordPress continues to establish itself as a platform.

As far as innovation is concerned, there is a lot going on but we haven't yet scratched the surface of WordPress' potential. Adii was right to highlight Gravity Forms, my perception is that they are the company which is doing the most to lay down foundations for an explosion of innovative functionality via add-ons.

Only a few days ago, I posted a feature request to the Gravity Forms forums, suggesting a stripped down (and, therefore, highly flexible) add-on that would add bookings, appointments, reservations and rentals functionality, for which the lack of WordPress options has always puzzled me, as it would obviously be a massive market.

Carl responded that they are moving in that general direction and, for anyone who creates with WordPress, knowing that a company like Rocket Genius is focused upon expanding what WordPress can do, concentrating on inventing the future of WordPress rather than wasting time self-aggrandizing and disparaging their competitors, that is truly exciting.