Matt Mullenweg

Co-creator & CEO at WordPress / Automattic

Matt Mullenweg is the co-creator of WordPress, which powers 40% of the web, and CEO of Automattic, a $7B+ company that owns WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce, and other web products.

The Visionary The Operator

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 90%

Execution & Craft 60%

Data & Experimentation 30%

Growth & Distribution 75%

Team & Leadership 60%

User Empathy & Research 55%

Key Themes

open source philosophy WordPress ecosystem defense AI and open source tension fake open source criticism acquisition strategy distributed company building

Episode Summary

Matt Mullenweg addresses the WP Engine controversy head-on, sharing his perspective on defending the WordPress open source ecosystem from what he sees as trademark abuse by private equity-backed companies. He also discusses his views on AI and open source, why he considers Meta's Llama 'fake open source,' and Automattic's acquisition philosophy.

Leadership Principles

→ If you're truly open source, sometimes you have to stand up to bullies to protect your ideals
→ Open source creates the most durable competitive moats through community and ecosystem
→ Products like Llama that restrict commercial use are 'fake open source'

Notable Quotes

"If you're really open and open source, sometimes you have to stand up to bullies and fight to protect your open source ideals."
— On the WP Engine controversy and defending WordPress

"Previously, 1% of the world thought I was terrible and now I feel like it's up to four or 5%."
— Self-aware humor about the backlash from his public stances

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