The Automattic TC-1
It’s hard to build a publishing empire, and it’s just as easy to lose one. Newspaper magnates were mostly replaced by broadcast moguls, first radio and then TV and cable, and now of course, they … Read more
E-Commerce
How doing everything wrong turned Automattic into a multibillion dollar media powerhouse
Nothing has been automatic about the success of Automattic. Today, to those who haven’t been paying attention, the company looks a bit like an overnight success story. WordPress, the open source software behind the company, … Read more
There’s nothing Automattic about balancing commercial growth with an open source developer community
The tech industry has made a full 180-degree turn with regard to open source in the 16 years since Matt Mullenweg founded Automattic, a major commercial backer of open source content management system WordPress. Microsoft, … Read more
Can social and e-commerce transform the future of the open web?
Despite Automattic’s respected position, awareness of its myriad businesses tends to be spotty. “I spend a lot of time with investors, press and research analysts, and I’m always stunned that people say, ‘We know WordPress.’ … Read more
The future of remote work is text
It’s impossible to talk about Automattic without talking about remote work. The company is a role model and innovator in this area: It has been entirely remote since 2005, and at 1,700 employees, it has … Read more
BluePallet raises $5M to take its chemical industry marketplace global
BluePallet, an online marketplace connecting manufacturers with the chemical industry, announced today that it has raised $5 million in a funding round led by Vinmar Ventures, a subsidiary of petrochemical manufacturer Vinmar International. The startup … Read more
Instacart acquires Caper AI, a smart cart and instant checkout startup, for $350M, as it moves deeper into physical retail tech
Instacart made its name by providing a way for consumers to bypass shopping in stores in person, by ordering items online and getting them delivered to their homes — a business that positively boomed in … Read more
Locale puts $2M to work helping people discover local cuisine
When you move around a city, you often end up farther away from some of your favorite restaurants and bakeries. Locale wants to keep you connected to the food you love, even if you live … Read more
Google eyes TaskMate global launch after Kenya rollout
Google has today launched TaskMate in Kenya, a crowdsourcing app that lets people use smartphones to do tasks and get paid, tapping the growing gig economy. The tech giant said it has rolled out the … Read more
Leveraging customer feedback and data to iterate on your product
How to iterate on product has always been one of the top concerns at startups. But while they previously had to rely solely on customer feedback and instincts, they now also have a trove of … Read more