Automattic

Matt Mullenweg co-founded the open-source blogging platform WordPress in 2003. Two years later, he founded Automattic to monetize the platform.{{cite news |last=Sawers |first=Paul |date=September 22, 2024 |title=Matt Mullenweg calls WP Engine a 'cancer to WordPress' and urges community to switch providers |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/22/matt-mullenweg-calls-wp-engine-a-cancer-to-wordpress-and-urges-community-to-switch-providers/ |access-date=November 1, 2024 |work=TechCrunch}}

Initially the company developed commercial products related to WordPress, including WordPress.com for WordPress-managed hosting and the spam filtering service Akismet.{{cite news |last=Morrison |first=Chris |date=October 19, 2021 |title=How doing everything wrong turned Automattic into a multibillion dollar media powerhouse |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/19/automattic-tc1-origin/ |access-date=November 1, 2024 |work=TechCrunch}} Toni Schneider, a former executive at Yahoo, became chief executive officer (CEO) in 2006.{{cite news |last=Farr |first=Christina |date=January 13, 2014 |title=WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg to take over Automattic as CEO |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/wordpress-creator-matt-mullenweg-to-take-over-automattic-as-ceo/ |access-date=November 1, 2024 |work=VentureBeat}}

In April 2006, Automattic's Regulation D filing showed it had raised approximately $1.1 million in funding.{{cite web |title=EDGAR Search Results |url=https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?CIK=0001341712&action=getcompany |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612070900/https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=0001341712 |archive-date=2024-06-12 |access-date=2018-01-24 |website=www.sec.gov}}

On September 9, 2010, Automattic gave the WordPress trademark and control over bbPress and BuddyPress to the WordPress Foundation.{{cite web |last=Mullenweg |first=Matt |date=2010-09-09 |title=A New Home for the WordPress Trademark |url=http://ma.tt/2010/09/wordpress-trademark/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209102259/https://ma.tt/2010/09/wordpress-trademark/ |archive-date=2024-12-09 |access-date=2018-01-24 |website=ma.tt}}

Automattic's remote working culture was the topic of a participative journalism project by Scott Berkun, resulting in the 2013 book The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work.{{cite book

|author=Scott Berkun

|title=The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work

|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nU1KlwEACAAJ

|date=10 September 2013

|publisher=Wiley

|isbn=978-1-118-66063-8}}

On November 21, 2016, Automattic managed the launch and development of the .blog gTLD.{{cite web |date=2016-04-13 |title=About Knock Knock, WHOIS There |url=https://my.blog/about-knock-knock-whois-there/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930181138/https://my.blog/about-knock-knock-whois-there/ |archive-date=2024-09-30 |access-date=2018-01-24 |website=.blog}}

File:Automattic Inc. office, San Francisco (July 2017) -3.jpg

In 2017, Automattic announced that it would close its San Francisco office, which had served as an optional co-working space for its employees, alongside similar spaces near Portland, Maine and in Cape Town, South Africa.{{Cite web |last=Staley |first=Oliver |date=2017-06-12 |title=Wordpress's owner is closing its San Francisco office because its employees never show up |url=https://qz.com/1002655/the-company-behind-wordpress-is-closing-its-gorgeous-san-francisco-office-because-its-employees-never-show-up/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113183928/https://qz.com/1002655/the-company-behind-wordpress-is-closing-its-gorgeous-san-francisco-office-because-its-employees-never-show-up |archive-date=2024-11-13 |access-date=2019-10-20 |website=Quartz |language=en}}

In August 2019, Automattic closed a deal with Verizon Media to acquire Tumblr.{{cite web |last=Radulovic |first=Petrana |date=2019-08-12 |title=Tumblr sold off yet again, adult content bans to be relaxed, but are being discussed. |url=https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/12/20802663/tumblr-acquisition-automattic-verizon |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240930182357/https://www.polygon.com/2019/8/12/20802663/tumblr-acquisition-automattic-verizon |archive-date=2024-09-30 |access-date=2019-08-12 |work=Polygon}} In September of the same year, Automattic announced a Series D funding round of $300 million from Salesforce, increasing its valuation to US$3 billion.{{Cite web |last=Dillet |first=Romain |date=2019-09-19 |title=Automattic raises $300 million at $3 billion valuation from Salesforce Ventures |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/19/automattic-raises-300-million-at-3-billion-valuation-from-salesforce-ventures/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113225904/https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/19/automattic-raises-300-million-at-3-billion-valuation-from-salesforce-ventures/ |archive-date=2024-11-13 |access-date=2020-04-23 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

Ending in February 2021, Automattic brought in US$288 million from a primary funding round. Subsequently, the company participated in a stock buyback, with the company valued at US$7.5 billion.{{cite web |author=Mullenweg |first=Matt |date=2021-08-16 |title=Funding, Buyback, and Hiring |url=https://ma.tt/2021/08/funding-buyback-hiring/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209143545/https://ma.tt/2021/08/funding-buyback-hiring/ |archive-date=2024-12-09 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=ma.tt}}

In February 2024, it was reported that the company would begin selling user data from Tumblr and WordPress.com to Midjourney and OpenAI.{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Samantha |date=2024-02-27 |title=Tumblr and WordPress to Sell Users' Data to Train AI Tools |url=https://www.404media.co/tumblr-and-wordpress-to-sell-users-data-to-train-ai-tools/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241201050705/https://www.404media.co/tumblr-and-wordpress-to-sell-users-data-to-train-ai-tools/ |archive-date=2024-12-01 |access-date=2024-02-28 |website=404 Media |language=en}}

On April 2, 2025, the company announced a restructuring that resulted in the layoff of 16% of its workforce, or 281 positions.{{Cite web |last=Perez |first=Sarah |date=2025-04-02 |title=WordPress maker Automattic lays off 16% of staff |url=https://techcrunch.com/2025/04/02/wordpress-maker-automattic-lays-off-16-of-staff/ |access-date=2025-05-17 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}

{{Main|WP Engine #WordPress dispute and lawsuit}}

Towards the end of September 2024, Automattic was involved in a controversy with WP Engine, in which Automattic claimed WP Engine used the WordPress trademark in a way that confused consumers. One of the main claims made is that WP Engine does not pay trademark royalties to the WordPress Foundation.{{Cite web |last=Mehta |first=Ivan |date=2024-09-26 |title=The WordPress vs. WP Engine drama, explained |url=https://techcrunch.com/2024/09/26/wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241211205005/https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/10/wordpress-vs-wp-engine-drama-explained/ |archive-date=2024-12-11 |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=TechCrunch |language=en}} Over 8 percent of Automattic's staff resigned after CEO Matt Mullenweg offered $30,000 or six months' salary as severance to those who disagreed with his stance.{{Cite web |last=Roth |first=Emma |date=2024-10-04 |title=WordPress co-founder is paying employees to leave if they disagree with him |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/4/24261931/wordpress-matt-mullenweg-automattic-employee-pay-package |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241127095211/https://www.theverge.com/2024/10/4/24261931/wordpress-matt-mullenweg-automattic-employee-pay-package |archive-date=2024-11-27 |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=The Verge |language=en}} The next month, Mullenweg made another offer, this time of nine months' salary.{{cite web |last=Cole |first=Samantha |date=2024-10-17 |title=Employees Describe an Environment of Paranoia and Fear Inside Automattic Over WordPress Chaos |url=https://www.404media.co/automattic-buyout-offer-wordpress-matt-mullenweg/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241212011953/https://www.404media.co/automattic-buyout-offer-wordpress-matt-mullenweg/ |archive-date=2024-12-12 |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=404 Media}}

{{As of|2024|12}}, Automattic's board consisted of the following directors:{{Cite web |date=2018-09-25 |title=Board of Directors |url=https://automattic.com/board/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241206050334/https://automattic.com/board/ |archive-date=2024-12-06 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Automattic |language=en}}

• Matt Mullenweg (founder and CEO of Automattic)
• Phil Black (co-founder of True Ventures venture capital firm)
• Toni Schneider (former CEO of Automattic, 2006–2014)
• Ann E. Dunwoody (retired U.S. army general)
• Susan Decker (former President of Yahoo! Inc.)

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• {{Official website|https://automattic.com/}}
• {{OpenCorp|Automattic}}

{{Automattic Inc.}}

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Category:WordPress