Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

‘I can’t explain it’: the man behind the wheels-doors Twitter post that ‘exploded’ online

‘I can’t explain it’: the man behind the wheels-doors Twitter post that ‘exploded’ online

Two weeks ago New Zealander Ryan Nixon created a social media poll for his fewer than 1,500 followers – the rest is history

The New Zealander who unwittingly sparked an agonising global debate over whether there are more doors or wheels in the world has come to his own conclusion – “I’m firmly team wheels”.

Auckland man Ryan Nixon, 37, was at home watching sport two Saturday nights ago when a friend posed the question to a group chat he shares with a bunch of mates. Unable to reach a consensus, he decided to create a poll for his fewer than 1,500 Twitter followers.

“My mates and I are having the STUPIDEST debate … And I am here for it,” he wrote. “Do you think there are more doors or wheels in the world?”

On a usual day, Nixon, who is a rugby referees manager, “is pretty stoked” to get up to 100 votes on a Twitter poll. After posting the conundrum he watched a few votes trickle in and went to bed. On Sunday morning, after a round of golf, he noticed the post had raced up to 14,000 votes, and then, when New Zealand entertainer Jemaine Clement retweeted it to his half-a-million followers, the poll “just exploded”. By Monday, he had switched off his notifications because it was “getting out of hand”.


At the poll’s close, it had amassed 223,347 votes, just under 2,500 comments and more than 9,000 retweets, with 53.6% concluding there were more wheels in the world.

But the debate did not stop there, with the poll spawning countless TikTok videos, social media posts and ongoing media commentary as people went round and round trying to get to the bottom of the answer, only to find themselves standing in front of a hypothetical locked door – ultimately, the question is unanswerable, or at least would take significant resources and time to come to any sort of reliable conclusion.


Nixon said the question had been floating around the internet for a while, but “for whatever reason – good luck, good timing and good luck with some of the retweets – it just took off from there”.

“To get a quarter of a million [votes] is just ridiculous, I can’t explain it.”

However, Nixon has some theories on why the question has induced such a feverish response. “If you’re having a debate with your mates, it’s so easy just to jump on Google and win or lose the argument, but for this one there is no answer – it would take forever to try to solve it.

“The beauty of it is people can pick a side and argue for or against … and some people do that pretty aggressively.”


It was interesting to him that people were firmly one or the other. Nixon himself had immediately jumped on the “door” bandwagon, but after engaging in some “critical thinking” and reading through numerous arguments for and against, he switched to team “wheel”.

“People were pointing out office chairs and trolleys and wheels in your drawers and wheels on sliding doors and on toys. I’m firmly team wheels now.”

Nixon said his brush with fame was surreal and fun, but that it would “peter out soon” and he could go back to living his normal life. Until then, he was happy he created some silly respite for people around the world.

“With everything else that was going on with Covid, Russia and Ukraine, and petrol prices, providing people with a lighthearted distraction or entertainment was cool.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×