Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Automattic

Automattic Inc. is an American web software company founded in 2005 by , specializing in open-source and proprietary tools for online publishing, , and . The company is headquartered in , , and operates as a fully distributed organization with approximately 1,500 employees across more than 90 countries as of 2025, following layoffs earlier that year, emphasizing asynchronous work and remote collaboration. Its mission is to democratize publishing and make the web a better place by building software that promotes freedom, creativity, and accessibility for users worldwide. Best known for its role in the WordPress ecosystem—which powers over 43% of all websites as of November 2025—Automattic develops WordPress.com, a hosted blogging and website-building platform. The company has expanded into a diverse portfolio of products and services. Key offerings include WooCommerce, an open-source e-commerce plugin acquired in 2015 that enables online stores for millions of merchants; Jetpack, a security and performance plugin for WordPress sites; and Akismet, an anti-spam tool. Through strategic acquisitions, such as Tumblr in 2019 for a nominal fee, Day One journaling app and Pocket Casts podcast platform in 2021, and Beeper in 2024 for $125 million, Automattic has broadened its ecosystem to include social blogging, unified messaging, and other digital tools. The company has raised nearly $1 billion in funding, achieving a valuation of $7.5 billion following its 2021 funding round, though recent investor estimates place it lower, around $3 billion as of 2025. Automattic supports enterprise clients like Meta, Salesforce, and the BBC through its WP VIP service. The company contributes significantly to the open-source community, including ongoing development of the WordPress.org project, and promotes initiatives like WordCamps and Five for the Future to foster web innovation. Despite its growth, it maintains a commitment to transparency and employee autonomy, with Mullenweg serving as CEO and guiding its vision for an open web.

History

Founding and early development

Automattic was founded in 2005 by in , with the goal of commercializing , the open-source he co-created in 2003 alongside . Mullenweg, who had been working at Networks, left the company later that year to establish Automattic as a venture focused on building products around the WordPress ecosystem. The company began operations as a remote-first organization, though it later established its first physical office in . In its early days, Automattic prioritized developing hosted services and plugins to support users. It launched on November 21, 2005, as a fully hosted blogging platform that allowed users to create and manage sites without self-hosting requirements. That same year, on October 25, 2005, Automattic released , an anti- designed to filter comment on sites using a cloud-based service. Automattic secured its initial funding through a $1.1 million seed round in April 2006, led by Polaris Venture Partners, with participation from True Ventures (formerly Blacksmith Capital), Radar Partners, and Networks. Around this time, Toni Schneider joined as CEO in January 2006, bringing operational expertise from her prior role at and helping to scale the young company; she served in the position until 2014. In 2007, Automattic expanded by acquiring , a service for globally recognized avatars that integrated seamlessly with . By 2008, had grown significantly, reaching one million signed-up blogs, reflecting the platform's rapid adoption among bloggers and early web publishers. This milestone underscored Automattic's early success in monetizing open-source through premium features and services.

Expansion and acquisitions

In 2011, Automattic launched Jetpack, a designed to enhance WordPress sites with features for , performance optimization, and connectivity to services, marking an early step in expanding beyond core hosting. The company's growth accelerated through significant funding rounds. In 2014, Automattic secured a $160 million Series C investment led by Insight Venture Partners, achieving a of $1.16 billion and enabling further product development and team expansion. By September 2019, it raised $300 million in a Series D round led by Ventures, valuing the company at $3 billion and bringing total funding to over $600 million across multiple rounds. Automattic pursued strategic acquisitions to diversify its offerings in , , , and blogging. In January 2013, it acquired Simperium, the developer of the Simplenote app, to bolster data synchronization capabilities across its products. In April 2014, Automattic bought Longreads, a platform for discovering , integrating it to enrich content recommendations on . The acquisition of in May 2015, the leading plugin for , strengthened its position in online retail tools. In August 2019, Automattic acquired from for approximately $3 million, aiming to revitalize the site within the WordPress ecosystem. These developments drove substantial valuation growth, reaching $7.5 billion by 2021, fueled by investor confidence in Automattic's dominance in the ecosystem and its distributed model. Concurrently, the workforce expanded to over 1,000 employees by late , all operating in a fully remote structure across multiple countries.

Recent milestones and challenges

In 2021, Automattic expanded into the podcasting space by acquiring Pocket Casts, a popular app for discovering and listening to s, allowing the company to integrate podcast features into its WordPress ecosystem. This move marked Automattic's entry into audio content tools, with the original founders continuing to lead the product under Automattic's distributed model. Building on its focus on communication technologies, Automattic acquired Beeper in April 2024 for $125 million, a universal messaging app that unifies 14 chat networks into a single inbox, including plans to merge it with the previously acquired Texts.com. Later that year, in November, Automattic purchased Harper, an AI-powered grammar checker designed for developers, incorporating its founder Elijah Potter into the team to enhance code-related tools. In December 2024, the company acquired WPAI, a startup specializing in AI solutions for WordPress, to further integrate generative AI capabilities across its platforms. These acquisitions underscored Automattic's strategic push into AI and cross-platform communication amid the growing demand for interoperable digital tools. On the product front, Automattic launched the Jetpack AI Assistant in June 2023, an -powered writing tool integrated into the editor for generating content, headlines, lists, and translations, available initially with a free trial and subsequent subscription model. This innovation, built on large language models, aimed to streamline for users, with subsequent integrations drawing from the and WPAI acquisitions to expand capabilities in and site optimization. In June 2025, Automattic acquired Clay, a relationship management tool that automatically organizes and intelligently searches contacts, to enhance its ecosystem with identity and communication features. In June 2025, the company celebrated its 20th anniversary, reflecting on its growth since 2005 and noting that WordPress, its flagship product, powers 43.4% of all websites globally as of April 2025. In October 2025, at WordCamp , CEO described the Tumblr acquisition as Automattic's 'biggest failure' to date, citing challenges in making the platform profitable as its costs significantly outpaced revenue. Automattic received recognition for its cloud infrastructure in 2025, securing a spot on the Cloud 100 list for the ninth consecutive year at position 71, highlighting its role in powering scalable web services for millions of sites. Operationally, Automattic underwent significant in April 2025, announcing layoffs affecting 16% of its workforce—approximately 281 employees across 90 countries—to realign resources amid shifting priorities, following a voluntary program offered in late 2024. Prior to the reductions, the company employed around 1,756 people, maintaining its fully remote structure without physical offices since closing its location in 2017. In November 2025, Automattic initiated a trademark dispute against developer Kevin Geary over his use of 'Automatic' for a , asserting rights derived from its company name. Looking toward the future, CEO addressed succession planning in March 2025, expressing his intent to transition leadership to a single successor rather than a to preserve the company's visionary direction. This statement came amid broader discussions on sustaining Automattic's innovation in an AI-driven landscape.

Products and services

WordPress-related products

Automattic's WordPress-related products form the backbone of its , providing essential tools for , site management, security, and commerce directly integrated with the open-source software. These offerings leverage Automattic's deep involvement in WordPress development to deliver hosted services, plugins, and utilities that simplify website building and maintenance for users worldwide. By focusing on user-friendly features and seamless , these products have enabled millions of individuals and businesses to establish an online presence without technical barriers. WordPress.com, launched in 2005 as a hosted blogging platform by Automattic, allows users to create and manage websites using the without needing to handle server infrastructure. It offers a range of features including customizable themes, plugin integrations for functionality like and , and monetization options such as ad and subscriptions. upgrades provide advanced capabilities like domains, enhanced , and priority , powering millions of sites and attracting over 409 million unique monthly visitors as of 2025. This hosted service democratizes publishing by combining ease of use with robust performance, contributing to WordPress's broad adoption. Akismet, introduced in 2005 alongside , is an anti-spam tool designed specifically for sites to filter malicious comments and form submissions. It employs and a global database of spam patterns to automatically detect and block with high accuracy, often exceeding 99.99% in analysis. Since its inception, Akismet has blocked billions of spam attempts cumulatively, safeguarding user engagement on blogs and forums by maintaining clean comment sections and reducing manual moderation efforts. Its integration as a core plugin makes it accessible for both self-hosted and users, significantly enhancing site reliability. Gravatar, acquired by Automattic in October 2007, serves as a global service that links profile s to addresses, enabling consistent user identities across sites and other platforms. Integrated natively into since the acquisition, it allows users to upload and manage avatars through a centralized , which are then displayed automatically in comments, profiles, and forums based on the associated . This service supports multiple formats and controls, fostering a unified online presence for over a decade and becoming a standard for decentralized identity in the ecosystem. WooCommerce, acquired by Automattic in May 2015 through the purchase of WooThemes, is an open-source plugin that transforms sites into fully functional online stores. It provides core features for product management, inventory tracking, and order processing, with thousands of extensions available for integrations like payment gateways (e.g., , ) and shipping providers (e.g., , ). This flexibility has made WooCommerce the leading solution for , supporting customizable storefronts and scaling from small shops to enterprise-level operations, thereby empowering entrepreneurs with accessible digital commerce tools. Jetpack, released by Automattic in March , is a comprehensive suite that extends WordPress.com's features to self-hosted WordPress.org sites, covering , , and growth tools in one package. Key functionalities include automated backups, scanning, downtime monitoring, optimization, and site speed enhancements through image optimization and CDN integration. In 2023, Jetpack introduced the AI Assistant, a generative AI tool embedded in the WordPress editor that assists with , such as drafting posts, generating headlines, and translating text, available across all plans to streamline workflows for creators. Through its contributions to the core software and these interconnected products, Automattic has helped propel WordPress to power over 43% of all websites on the as of November 2025, underscoring its dominant role in web publishing and the market.

Acquired and diverse offerings

Automattic has expanded its portfolio through strategic acquisitions of diverse applications, focusing on tools that enhance , personal expression, and communication while integrating select technologies across its ecosystem. These offerings, acquired primarily after , operate semi-independently but benefit from Automattic's infrastructure, such as shared backend services and enhancements, to support creators in the evolving digital landscape. In 2019, Automattic acquired , a platform, from for $3 million, aiming to revitalize its creative community amid declining usage. Under Automattic's ownership, Tumblr underwent restructuring efforts, including a 2023 reorganization that reallocated much of its team to other company projects while emphasizing ad revenue growth through programmatic advertising. By 2024, Tumblr began migrating its over 500 million blogs to the backend, enabling seamless integration with Automattic's publishing tools and improving without disrupting . Pocket Casts, a podcast listening application, joined Automattic in , bringing robust audio features to the company's media offerings. The app supports cross-device , allowing users to maintain playlists and progress across mobile, web, and desktop platforms. Premium subscribers access advanced tools like customizable filters for episode organization, the Up Next queue for automated playback, and variable speed controls, positioning Pocket Casts as a user-centric alternative in the podcasting space. Day One, acquired in 2021, provides a privacy-oriented journaling application designed for personal reflection and multimedia documentation. It emphasizes and biometric security to protect user entries, supporting text, photos, videos, and audio recordings in customizable journals. Recent updates include AI-powered features such as context-aware prompts and entry summaries, enhancing the app's utility for daily digital diaries while maintaining a focus on data ownership and offline access. In 2024, Automattic acquired Beeper for $125 million, a unified messaging client that aggregates conversations from 14 networks, including , Signal, and Telegram, into a single inbox. Post-acquisition, Beeper integrated with Automattic's Texts.com service, adding on-device for message processing and premium upgrades like enhanced search and customization, streamlining communication for users across platforms without centralized data silos. The 2024 acquisition of WPAI further diversified Automattic's tools by incorporating -driven solutions for content generation, such as CodeWP for code assistance and AgentWP for , which extend beyond core publishing to support and interactive creation across the portfolio. This move enables enhancements in apps like and Day One, fostering efficiency in journaling and blogging. In June 2025, Automattic acquired Clay, a relationship management platform that uses to organize contacts, track interactions, and provide insights for and professional networking. The acquisition aims to integrate Clay's tools with Automattic's ecosystem, enhancing user identity and collaboration features across products like and . By 2025, these acquisitions reflect Automattic's strategic pivot toward the broader , emphasizing integrated tools for expression, consumption, and collaboration that empower independent makers amid advancements.

Corporate affairs

Leadership and governance

has served as the co-founder and (CEO) of Automattic since January 2014, when he resumed the role after previously stepping down to focus on product development. In this capacity, Mullenweg oversees the company's overall strategy and continues to make significant contributions to the open-source project, including leading key initiatives that align with Automattic's mission to enhance web publishing tools. Prior to Mullenweg's return as CEO, Toni Schneider held the position from 2006 to 2014, during which she guided Automattic's growth from a small startup to a global operation, helping to scale into a platform serving millions of users worldwide. Schneider's tenure emphasized operational expansion and establishing Automattic as a leader in the web publishing space. As a , Automattic's as of 2025 comprises four members: Mullenweg, Schneider (who remains active post-CEO), retired U.S. Army General Ann Dunwoody, and Sue Decker, former president of Yahoo!. The board includes representatives from early investors such as True Ventures (via Schneider), reflecting the company's funding history, while Mullenweg maintains substantial control as founder and chairman in this lean, four-person structure. Board emeritus members include Phil Black of True Ventures (who served 2005–2025) and Michael Hirshland. Automattic's model incorporates an open-source into its decision-making processes, prioritizing , contributions, and the of shared software principles, as evidenced by the company's substantial investments in core development and defenses of open-source values against commercial threats. In 2025, Mullenweg publicly discussed , expressing a for transitioning to a single successor rather than a fragmented to preserve unified direction. Complementing this structure, Automattic restructured its in October 2024 by granting equity in the form of 200 A12 shares to all approximately 1,700 employees, effectively making every team member a partial owner and fostering an "owner mentality" amid the company's growth phase.

Organizational structure and culture

Automattic operates as a fully distributed company with a remote-first model established since its founding in 2005, allowing employees to work from any location without a central headquarters following the closure of its office in 2017. As of late 2025, the company employs 1,466 people across more than 90 countries, fostering a global workforce that spans diverse time zones and cultures. The company's culture emphasizes autonomy, transparency, and collaboration, principles detailed in Scott Berkun's 2013 book The Year Without Pants: WordPress.com and the Future of Work, which chronicles his experience at Automattic and highlights its unconventional approach to distributed operations. These values are codified in the Automattic Creed, a set of guiding statements that include commitments to continuous learning, proactive initiative ("I won’t just work on things that are assigned to me"), open communication as "the oxygen of a distributed company," and a focus on impact over financial gain to democratize and . To support its remote workforce, Automattic implements policies such as periodic in-person retreats, including annual for the entire company and smaller team gatherings lasting five to seven days, though the 2025 Grand Meetup was canceled amid cost-cutting measures. Employee support includes mandatory annual support rotations, where staff assist with customer to build and shared understanding, alongside dedicated Happiness Engineers who handle and internal queries. Additionally, Automattic provides to all employees through grants of A12 shares, enabling and aligning personal incentives with the company's long-term success. In response to market pressures, Automattic underwent a significant in April 2025, reducing its workforce by 16% (approximately 280 positions) to enhance agility, eliminate , and improve efficiency while preserving its mission to empower creators with tools that promote work-life balance. This adaptation underscores a commitment to sustainable operations in a competitive landscape. Automattic prioritizes diversity and inclusion through global hiring practices that draw from over 90 countries and support for underrepresented groups via initiatives like Employee Resource Groups established in 2016 and partnerships with organizations such as Outreachy and TechWomen. The company also engages the open-source community by maintaining transparent practices and contributing to projects like , ensuring broader participation in its ecosystem.

Controversies

WP Engine lawsuit

In late 2023, Automattic CEO began raising concerns about WP Engine's business practices through private discussions and initial negotiations, criticizing the company for profiting from the ecosystem without sufficient contributions to its open-source development. These talks, which included a proposed in July 2023 aimed at formalizing licensing, ultimately stalled as WP Engine declined further engagement. The dispute escalated publicly in September when Mullenweg posted blog entries and delivered speeches accusing WP Engine of anti-competitive behavior, including disabling core features on its hosting platform and misleading marketing that implied affiliation with the official project. On September 23, , Automattic issued a formal enforcement letter to WP Engine, demanding an annual licensing fee of approximately $32 million—equivalent to 8% of WP Engine's estimated $400 million in revenue—for continued use of and related trademarks like , alleging consumer confusion and unlicensed commercial exploitation. In response, WP Engine filed a against Automattic and Mullenweg on October 2, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claiming , intentional with contractual relations, , and attempted through the demands and public statements. Automattic denied the allegations, asserting that WP Engine's actions constituted and unfair competition, and vowed to defend its intellectual property rights. Key events included Mullenweg's continued videos and posts detailing alleged by WP Engine's backer, Silver Lake, such as delaying licensing to inflate company valuation. The legal battle remained ongoing as of November 2025, with a failed settlement conference in July 2025 and Automattic filing counterclaims on October 24, 2025, accusing WP Engine of deliberate misuse, deceptive practices like branding itself as "The WordPress Technology Company," and under-contributing to the open-source community despite its scale. No settlement has been reached, and the case continues to involve motions on antitrust claims and discovery disputes. The dispute triggered significant internal fallout at Automattic, with 159 employees—approximately 8.4% of the workforce—resigning in October 2024 after accepting a voluntary of six months' salary or $30,000, citing misalignment with Mullenweg's handling of the conflict and broader strategic direction for . This exodus was concentrated in the WordPress ecosystem division, highlighting divisions within the company over the aggressive enforcement approach. Broader implications of the lawsuit underscored tensions in the commercialization of , exposing debates over rights, fair use in hosting services, and the balance between for-profit entities and community-driven projects like , which Automattic has stewarded since its founding. The case has prompted discussions on how influences open-source ecosystems and the risks of over-reliance on dominant contributors.

Leadership and open-source disputes

In early 2024, Automattic faced significant backlash over a proposed deal to share user from its platforms, including and , with AI companies such as and for training purposes. Internal documents revealed that the arrangement involved public posts dating back to 2014, but raised alarms when a data query inadvertently included , deleted, and NSFW content, prompting ethical and privacy concerns among employees and users. Automattic responded by emphasizing user options and blocking AI crawlers by default, ultimately pausing the initiative to align with expectations on and attribution. Throughout 2024 and into 2025, Matt Mullenweg, Automattic's CEO and WordPress co-founder, drew accusations of authoritarian control over WordPress governance, particularly through unilateral decisions affecting the open-source ecosystem. A prominent example occurred in October 2024, when WordPress.org, under Mullenweg's influence, took control of the Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) plugin—popularly used by WP Engine—rebranding it as Secure Custom Fields amid the ongoing dispute with the hosting provider. This move was criticized as a "hostile takeover" that could introduce unapproved code updates to millions of sites, exacerbating tensions and leading to widespread community outrage. However, in December 2024, a U.S. federal court granted WP Engine a preliminary injunction, ordering Automattic to return control of the plugin, which was subsequently reinstated. Calls for Mullenweg's resignation intensified during this period, with developers and users arguing that his centralized authority undermined collaborative principles, as evidenced by petitions and public statements highlighting risks to WordPress's stability. Debates over Automattic's dual commercial and open-source model further strained relations with the WordPress community in 2025. Critics contended that Automattic's for-profit ventures, such as WordPress.com and premium plugins, prioritized revenue over communal contributions, creating perceptions of exploitation within the ecosystem. In interviews and podcasts that year, Mullenweg addressed these clashes, defending the model as a sustainable way to fund open-source development while discussing succession plans; he expressed reluctance to hand over leadership to a committee, preferring a single steward to maintain direction, but acknowledged community alienation stemming from his decision-making style. These discussions highlighted broader philosophical tensions, with some viewing Automattic's influence as essential stewardship and others as overreach that alienated contributors. The controversies amplified scrutiny of Automattic's dominant role in WordPress.org, where it funds much of the infrastructure and governance, prompting renewed discussions of forks like ClassicPress—a 2018 offshoot—as viable alternatives amid fears of corporate control. Community forums and analyses noted increased interest in such forks during the 2024-2025 disputes, positioning them as safeguards against perceived monopolistic practices. In response, Automattic announced organizational restructuring in April 2025, reducing its workforce by about 16% to streamline operations and refocus efforts on high-impact contributions that better serve community priorities, such as enhancing core development. This included resuming full sponsorship of open-source work by May 2025, aiming to rebuild trust and align more closely with user needs following the period of heightened conflict.

References

  1. [1]
    Automattic | Company Overview & News - Forbes
    Founded: 2005. Headquarters: San Francisco, California. Country/Territory: United States. CEO: Matt Mullenweg. Employees: 1,500. Forbes Lists. #71. Cloud 100 ( ...
  2. [2]
    Automattic Inc - Company Profile and News - Bloomberg Markets
    Executives ; Matthew C Mullenweg "Matt". PRESENT. CEO/Founder ; Mark Davies. 10/2019-PRESENT. Chief Financial Officer ; Paul Maiorana. PRESENT. VP:Platform ...Missing: headquarters | Show results with:headquarters
  3. [3]
    How doing everything wrong turned Automattic into a multibillion ...
    Oct 19, 2021 · The company has 1,700 employees in a distributed, asynchronous, global workforce, and has raised nearly $1 billion, according to Crunchbase, ...
  4. [4]
    Automattic
    ### Summary of Automattic
  5. [5]
    How Automattic wants to build the operating system of the web
    Sep 19, 2019 · Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Longreads, Simplenote and soon Tumblr, is now worth $3 billion.<|control11|><|separator|>
  6. [6]
    Automattic Buys WooCommerce, The Popular Plugin For Turning ...
    May 19, 2015 · Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has just acquired WooCommerce. Automattic isn't disclosing the price of the acquisition.
  7. [7]
    Verizon is selling Tumblr to WordPress.com parent, Automattic
    Aug 12, 2019 · WordPress owner Automattic Inc. has agreed to take the service off of Verizon's hands. Terms of the deal are undisclosed, but the number is “nominal,” compared ...
  8. [8]
    Beeper's all-in-one messaging app relaunches with an on-device ...
    Jul 16, 2025 · Now owned by WordPress.com maker Automattic, which bought Beeper for $125 million in 2024, the app has almost entirely integrated with ...
  9. [9]
    An Extended Interview With WordPress Creator Matt Mullenweg
    Jun 11, 2014 · (Editor's note: Automattic employs a distributed workforce around the world. The company's largest office is in San Francisco, where only 15 of ...
  10. [10]
    Boost your self-hosted WordPress with Jetpack
    Mar 9, 2011 · With Jetpack, a new plugin from Automattic, people not on WordPress.com can now access features that depend on WordPress.com. Jetpack also ...
  11. [11]
    Automattic Launches Jetpack, Gives Wordpress.org Users ...
    Jetpack will eventually replace 20/30 plugins with just one and WordPress has partnered up with Bluehost, Dreamhost, Go Daddy, Hostgator, Media ...
  12. [12]
    Automattic, the company behind WordPress, is worth $1.16B in new ...
    May 5, 2014 · Automattic is valued at $1.16 billion thanks to a new $160 million funding round today. This news follows reports last month that estimated ...
  13. [13]
    https://www.forbes.com/sites/jjcolao/2014/06/11/an-extended-interview-with-wordpress-creator-matt-mullenweg/
  14. [14]
    Automattic raises $300 million at $3 billion valuation from Salesforce ...
    Sep 19, 2019 · It closed a $160 million Series C round back in 2014 and raised little money before that. Automattic and the WordPress open-source project have ...
  15. [15]
    Automattic Funding & Investors - Employbl
    Series E · 288,000,000. Feb 15, 2021 ; Series Unknown · 80,600,000. Dec 9, 2019 ; Series D · 300,000,000. Sep 17, 2019 ; Series C · 160,000,000. May 3, 2014 ; Secondary ...
  16. [16]
    Automattic Acquires Simperium, The Y Combinator-Backed Data ...
    Jan 24, 2013 · WordPress.com parent company Automattic has acquired Simperium, the startup that runs a data syncing platform and is also well-known for Simplenote.
  17. [17]
    Automattic Acquires Longreads, The App For Discovering And ...
    Apr 9, 2014 · Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, has acquired Longreads, the platform for discovering and reading long-form writing content ...Missing: 2015 | Show results with:2015
  18. [18]
    Automattic Acquires WooCommerce - WP Tavern
    May 19, 2015 · Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg announced today that the company has acquired WooCommerce, WordPress' most popular e-commerce platform.
  19. [19]
    Verizon To Sell Tumblr To Wordpress Owner - Forbes
    Aug 12, 2019 · Automattic also owns e-commerce tool WooCommerce, Longreads and Simplenote, but the Tumblr acquisition is the company's highest-profile deal to ...
  20. [20]
    WordPress News: Automattic Valued at $7.5 Billion + 5 More
    Sep 29, 2021 · Its CEO, Matt Mullenweg, announced that the company is now valued at $7.5 billion after buying back $250 million worth of shares from its ...Automattic Doubles Its... · Jetpack Acquires Social Image...
  21. [21]
    An Automattic Timeline
    In June, the first European Automattician is hired. In October, the first American Automattician is hired. 2006. The first “Grand Meetup” in San Francisco.Missing: office | Show results with:office
  22. [22]
    Automattic, owner of Tumblr and WordPress.com, buys podcast app ...
    Jul 16, 2021 · Automattic, which runs WordPress.com and recently purchased Tumblr, announced today that it's acquired Pocket Casts, the well-regarded podcast app.
  23. [23]
    Automattic Acquires Pocket Casts - WP Tavern
    Jul 16, 2021 · Automattic has acquired Pocket Casts, a popular podcast listening, search, and discovery app for Android and iOS.<|separator|>
  24. [24]
    WordPress.com owner Automattic acquires multiservice messaging ...
    Apr 9, 2024 · WordPress.com owner Automattic acquires multiservice messaging app Beeper for $125M. Sarah Perez. 7:49 AM PDT · April 9, 2024. Image Credits: ...
  25. [25]
    Automattic Welcomes Harper and Elijah Potter
    Nov 21, 2024 · We're excited to announce the acquisition of Harper, a grammar checker for developers, as well as the addition of its founder, Elijah Potter, to the Automattic ...Missing: WPAI | Show results with:WPAI
  26. [26]
    Automattic Welcomes WPAI
    Dec 9, 2024 · December 9, 2024. At Automattic, we ... Today, we're announcing the acquisition of a company that's going to help us in that mission: WPAI.Missing: Harper | Show results with:Harper
  27. [27]
    Automattic launches an AI writing assistant for WordPress
    Jun 7, 2023 · WordPress.com owner Automattic launched a Jetpack AI assistant for the popular content management system on Tuesday.
  28. [28]
    Introducing Jetpack AI Assistant in WordPress.com
    The Jetpack AI Assistant can translate your text into numerous languages, allowing you to effortlessly reach across locales and cultures. And ...
  29. [29]
    Automattic's post - Facebook
    Aug 6, 2024 · Automattic is listed as a 2024 honoree for the The Cloud 100 list. Sponsored by · Nancy Pius and 14 others.
  30. [30]
    Celebrating 20 Years of Automattic
    Jun 20, 2025 · On June 20, 2005, Matt Mullenweg made his first hire: Donncha Ó Caoimh, a software developer who had been working on the WordPress project.
  31. [31]
    WordPress Market Share, Statistics, and More
    Apr 17, 2025 · As of April 17, 2025, 43.4% of the websites on the internet run on WordPress, according to W3Techs. That means almost every other website runs on WordPress.<|control11|><|separator|>
  32. [32]
    Restructuring Announcement - Automattic
    This restructuring will result in an approximately 16% workforce reduction. HR will email those impacted to inform them they will leave Automattic with ...
  33. [33]
    WordPress maker Automattic lays off 16% of staff - TechCrunch
    Apr 2, 2025 · The layoffs will impact 16% of staff across divisions, an Automattic blog post published Wednesday reveals.
  34. [34]
    SF tech CEO lays off hundreds after paying workers $30K to quit
    Apr 4, 2025 · Automattic is slashing 16% of its staff, months after a dramatic buyout offer. By Stephen Council, Tech Reporter April 4, 2025.
  35. [35]
    Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg talks succession -- 'I don't want to ...
    'I don't want to pass it to a committee'. Sarah Perez. 8:38 AM PST · March 4, 2025.Missing: comments | Show results with:comments
  36. [36]
    Board of Directors - Automattic
    Toni Schneider. Toni Schneider was the CEO of Automattic from 2006-2014, led internal teams from 2015-2019, and is a partner at True Ventures. He serves on ...
  37. [37]
    About - Toni.org
    True Ventures (2005–Present): Partner at a firm supporting early-stage tech entrepreneurs. · Automattic (2006–2014): Founding CEO of the remote work pioneer ...
  38. [38]
    An Interview with Toni Schneider, Founding Venture Partner, True ...
    Aug 1, 2018 · Toni is well known for his role as CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. ... For his work, Toni was recognized at the Crunchies as ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  39. [39]
    Defending Open Source: Protecting the Future of WordPress
    It's important to note that a significant part of Automattic's revenue, including any licensing revenue, is channeled back into supporting the WordPress ...
  40. [40]
    Every Automattician Is Now an Owner of Automattic
    Oct 14, 2024 · On October 7, 2024, every human being who works at Automattic was made a co-owner of the company. On that date, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg ...Missing: board directors
  41. [41]
    About Us - Automattic
    In a time when companies are demanding employees return to the office or lose their jobs, we've been a remote-first company since our founding in 2005.The Automattic Creed · Automattic Map · NewsMissing: San | Show results with:San
  42. [42]
    Automattic Closes San Francisco Office to Let Everyone Work ...
    Jun 12, 2017 · Automattic, the company behind the popular WordPress blogging website, is making the unusual decision to get rid of its San Francisco office.
  43. [43]
    Automattic Cuts 16% of Workforce in Latest Round of Layoffs Amid ...
    around 280 people — in a move that came without warning and hit employees across 90 ...
  44. [44]
    The Automattic Creed
    ### Automattic Creed Summary
  45. [45]
    How We Work - Automattic
    Nov 18, 2020 · We track about 70 percent of our projects on P2-themed WordPress.com blogs, 25 percent in private chat rooms, and the rest on Slack.Missing: impact | Show results with:impact<|separator|>
  46. [46]
    The Support Rotation: My Annual Empathy Booster
    Sep 29, 2017 · In addition to doing three weeks of support during our start at Automattic, every employee does an annual support rotation, putting aside ...
  47. [47]
    Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion - Automattic
    We are an international company with employees from diverse backgrounds. We believe more perspectives improve our engagement with our global community.Our Guidelines · Educate Yourself About... · Help Make Our Products...
  48. [48]
    https://automattic.com/creed/
  49. [49]
    https://automattic.com/how-we-work/
  50. [50]
    Automattic demanded web host pay $32M annually ... - Ars Technica
    Oct 3, 2024 · Automattic Inc. and its founder have been sued by a WordPress hosting company that alleges an extortion scheme to extract payments for use of the trademark.
  51. [51]
    Open Source, Trademarks, and WP Engine - Automattic
    Sep 25, 2024 · ... WP Engine is synonymous with WordPress. It's not. This is trademark abuse, not fair competition. Here is the full letter, here are the exhibits.
  52. [52]
    WPEngine, Inc. v. Automattic Inc., 3:24-cv-06917 – CourtListener.com
    Oct 2, 2024 · Complaint for Intentional Interference with Contract and Relations, et al; Demand for Jury Trial against Automattic Inc., Matthew Mullenweg.Missing: 2023 | Show results with:2023
  53. [53]
    https://www.techwomen.org/
  54. [54]
    Automattic files counterclaims against WP Engine in WordPress ...
    Oct 24, 2025 · On Friday, WordPress.com maker Automattic filed its counterclaims in the lawsuit initiated by hosting company WP Engine in October 2024, ...Missing: 2023 | Show results with:2023
  55. [55]
    159 employees are leaving Automattic as CEO's fight with WP ...
    Oct 4, 2024 · Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg said on Thursday that 159 employees (roughly 8.4% of staff) accepted a severance package that the company had offered.<|control11|><|separator|>
  56. [56]
    Tumblr and WordPress to Sell Users’ Data to Train AI Tools
    ### Confirmation
  57. [57]
    https://automattic.com/2024/10/03/meritless/
  58. [58]
    In latest move against WP Engine, WordPress takes control of ACF ...
    Oct 12, 2024 · The dispute between WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg and hosting provider WP Engine continues, with Mullenweg announcing that WordPress is “forking” a plug-in ...
  59. [59]
    Matt Mullenweg Asks What Drama to Create in 2025 ... - WP Tavern
    Dec 26, 2024 · Endorse a successor to WordPress; Federate the Repos and take the hosting costs off Automattic. Introduce a built-in way to create a simple ...Missing: succession | Show results with:succession
  60. [60]
    Why Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg went to war over WordPress
    Jun 30, 2025 · There was a report last year from 404 Media that part of the revenue model would be to sell Tumblr data to Midjourney and OpenAI for training ...
  61. [61]
    Automattic vs WP Engine - ClassicPress
    Oct 11, 2024 · Many readers will be aware of the increasingly bitter dispute currently going on between Automattic and WP Engine. Automattic is a company ...Missing: influence | Show results with:influence
  62. [62]
    Automattic Resumes WordPress Contributions After Strategic Pause
    May 30, 2025 · Automattic has announced it will resume its contributions to the WordPress open-source project, following a brief pause that surprised many in the community.