We’re excited to announce that Matt Mullenweg, co-founder of the popular blogging platform WordPress, will be taking the Disrupt stage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024.
When Mullenweg first started working with WordPress, he was a 19-year-old jazz enthusiast and photographer living in Texas. He found that the blogging software he used was stagnant and decided to build his own open source platform derived from an existing project. .
The first version of WordPress was released in May 2003. It initially expanded into a nearly ubiquitous content management system that powers some of the most popular publishers on the web, including TechCrunch. According to some studies, it is used on more than 40% of websites.
Mullenweg is also the CEO of Automattic, which provides hosting and other commercial services based on WordPress and is valued at $7.5 billion in 2021. Among other things, Automattic operates spam filtering Akismet, ecommerce plugin WooCommerce, and blogging platform. Tumblr (acquired by Verizon). And if that’s not enough, Mullenweg also invests in startups through Audrey Capital.
As WordPress and Automattic have grown and Mullenweg has become one of the leading voices on open source software, they have also faced a lot of controversy. For example, they have struggled to turn Tumblr into a sustainable business and have been involved in a legal battle with another WordPress hosting company, WP Engine, in recent months.
So there will be a lot to discuss with Mullenweg when he joins us next week on the Disrupt Stage at Disrupt 2024 about his founder’s journey, challenges, and what’s next for WordPress and the web. This is a conversation you don’t want to miss!
Secure your tickets now to take advantage of low ticket rates. All ticket prices will increase when Moscone West in San Francisco opens on October 28th.
