How I Built This with Guy Raz

WordPress & Automattic: Matt Mullenweg

33 snips
Mar 21, 2022
In this conversation, Matt Mullenweg, the visionary founder of Automattic and co-founder of WordPress, shares his inspiring journey from a college dropout to a tech titan. He discusses the early days of blogging, collaboration with fellow coders, and the pivotal moment he launched WordPress after being turned down by CNET. Mullenweg reflects on the challenges of building a free, user-friendly platform, the decision to decline a major acquisition, and the balance between hard work and luck that shaped his success.
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ANECDOTE

Virtual Collaboration

  • Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little collaborated on WordPress for three years before meeting in person.
  • Their collaboration was primarily online, communicating through code and online chats.
ANECDOTE

CNET Rejection

  • Matt Mullenweg pitched a user-friendly WordPress.com to CNET, envisioning domains like guy.online.
  • CNET rejected the idea, concerned about hosting blogs and potential content issues.
ANECDOTE

Blogs vs. Traditional Media

  • CNET viewed blogs as troublesome and bloggers as amateurs.
  • Matt showed them how WordPress could publish content in seconds compared to their 20-minute process.
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