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We’re excited to announce that Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of the popular blogging platform WordPress, will be participating in the Disrupt Stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024.
When Mullenweg first started working on WordPress, he was a 19-year-old jazz fan and photographer in Texas. I noticed the blogging software he used It was stagnating, so he decided to create his own open source platform, forking from an existing project.
The first version of WordPress was released in May 2003. Since those humble beginnings, it has expanded into a nearly ubiquitous content management system that powers many of the web’s most popular publishers, including TechCrunch. On some counts, it is used by More than 40% of the sites.
Mullenweg also serves as CEO of Automattic, which offers hosting and other commerce services in addition to WordPress and was valued at $7.5 billion in 2021. Among other things, Automattic powers the Akismet spam filter, the WooCommerce e-commerce plugin, and the Blogging. Tumblr (obtained from Verizon). And if that wasn’t enough, Mullenweg also invests in startups Audrey Capital.
As WordPress and Automattic have grown, and as Mullenweg has become one of the leading voices in open source software, they have also faced their share of controversy. For example, they’ve struggled to turn Tumblr into a sustainable business, and in recent months have been embroiled in a legal battle with another WordPress hosting company, WP Engine.
So there will be plenty to discuss with Mullenweg on the Disrupt Stage at Disrupt 2024 — about the founder’s journey, the challenges he faces, and what’s next for WordPress and the web — when he joins us next week. It’s a conversation you won’t want to miss!
Secure your ticket now to take advantage of low ticket prices. All ticket prices will go up when Moscone West opens its doors in San Francisco on October 28.
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