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The creator of WordPress opens up about becoming an internet villain, why he’s taking a stand, and the future of open source | Matt Mullenweg (founder and CEO, Automattic)
Matt Mullenweg is the co-founder of WordPress, the open source platform powering a staggering 43% of the internet. He also serves as CEO of Automattic—the parent company of brands like WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and Tumblr—which is worth over $7 billion, with over 1,700 employees across 90 countries. In this episode, he discusses some of the most controversial topics surrounding WordPress, Automattic, and the broader open source community.
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What you’ll learn:
• Matt’s response to public criticism
• Why products like Meta’s Llama are “fake open source”
• How his team is turning around Tumblr after acquiring it for just $3 million (after Yahoo bought it for $1.1 billion)
• Why he mortgaged his home to fund San Francisco’s iconic Bay Lights project
• Matt’s philosophy: “Don’t just build a product; build a movement”
• Why open source matters: “If the Founding Fathers were around today, they’d be open source advocates”
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Find the transcript at: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/the-creator-of-wordpress-opens-up-matt-mullenweg
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Where to find Matt Mullenweg:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattm/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photomatt/
• Website: https://ma.tt/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Introduction to Matt Mullenweg
(05:10) Matt’s career journey
(11:15) Bay Lights project and philanthropy
(17:28) How Matt got involved with open source
(23:25) Why products like Meta’s Llama are “fake open source”
(27:14) The future of open source and how to get involved
(35:25) Building a successful online community
(39:12) The WP Engine controversy
(50:24) Facing criticism and controversy
(55:29) Addressing community concerns
(01:08:29) Forking Advanced Custom Fields
(01:11:15) The role of social media and public perception
(01:16:43) Acquiring and reviving Tumblr
(01:24:25) Automattic’s acquisition strategy
(01:28:51) Final thoughts and future plans
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Referenced:
• WordPress: https://wordpress.com/
• Automattic: https://automattic.com/
• CNET: https://www.cnet.com/
• Akismet: https://akismet.com/wordpress/
• Jetpack: https://jetpack.com/
• Toni Schneider on LinkedIn: Published on 10 months ago