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: www.lennysnewsletter.com

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Where to find Matt Mullenweg:

• X: x.com

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Instagram: www.instagram.com

• Website: ma.tt

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: twitter.com

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

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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: wordpress.com

• Automattic: automattic.com

• CNET: www.cnet.com

• Akismet: akismet.com

• Jetpack: jetpack.com

• Toni Schneider on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• WooCommerce: woocommerce.com

• Beeper: www.beeper.com

• Day One: dayoneapp.com

• Simplenote: simplenote.com

• Pocket Casts: pocketcasts.com

• Creative Commons: creativecommons.org

• Audrey Capital: audrey.co

• Stripe: stripe.com

• SpaceX: www.spacex.com

• Calm: www.calm.com

• August: august.com

• Daylight Computer: daylightcomputer.com

• Keys Jazz Bistro: keysjazzbistro.com

• Joomla: www.joomla.org

• Drupal: new.drupal.org

• Shopify: www.shopify.com

• Wix: www.wix.com

• Squarespace: www.squarespace.com

• Tumblr: www.tumblr.com

• Gravatar: gravatar.com

• The Bay Lights: illuminate.org

• The Bay Lights 360: illuminate.org

• Ben Davis on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts: www.houstonisd.org

• Jack Dorsey: We’re Losing our Free Will to Algorithms: www.youtube.com

• Marc Andreessen: a16z.com

• Bill Gurley on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• An inside look at X’s Community Notes | Keith Coleman (VP of Product) and Jay Baxter (ML Lead): www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Llama: www.llama.com

• WordCamp US & Ecosystem Thinking: ma.tt

• As Wall Street Chases Profits, Fire Departments Have Paid the Price: www.nytimes.com

• WordCamp Asia: asia.wordcamp.org

• Justin Baldoni Hit with Defamation Suit as PR Teams Turn on Each Other over Blake Lively’s ‘It Ends with Us’ Smear Campaign Allegations: deadline.com

• How WordPress Hot Nacho Scandal Shapes WP Engine Dispute: www.searchenginejournal.com

• Gutenberg: wordpress.org

• ClassicPress: www.classicpress.net

• Behind the founder: Marc Benioff: www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Mary Hubbard on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Brian Chesky’s new playbook: www.lennysnewsletter.com

• Founder mode: paulgraham.com

• Cow.com: www.cow.com

• David Karp on X: x.com

• Marissa Mayer on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Alibaba: www.alibaba.com

• WP Engine Tracker: wordpressenginetracker.com

• Kumbh Mela: en.wikipedia.org

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Recommended book:

• Maintenance: Of Everything (in progress): books.worksinprogress.co

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Production and marketing by penname.co. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.