20VC: Matt Mullenweg on Relationships to Risk, Money and Insecurity as a Leader | Lessons from a Parent's Passing and the Pre-Grieving Process | What is High Performance in Leadership Today?
The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch
The Twenty Minute VC
4.4 • 637 Ratings
🗓️ 11 July 2022
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Matt Mullenweg is the Founder of Automattic, the force behind WordPress, Tumblr, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Longreads, Simplenote, Pocket Casts, and more. What started as a simple open-source blogging platform, Matt has turned into one of the most significant internet properties of our generation, now powering over 43% of sites on the internet. Alongside Automattic, Matt also invests through Audrey Capital and has backed the likes of Stripe, SpaceX, Gitlab, and Sendgrid to name a few.
In Today's Episode with Matt Mullenweg We Discuss:
1.) The Origins of WordPress:
- How did Matt start the for-profit, Automattic, as a 19-year-old, having been a lead developer for WordPress?
- What were the clearest signs to Matt in the early days that WordPress could change the world?
- What does Matt know now that he wishes he had known at the beginning of WordPress?
2.) Matt Mullenweg: The Essence of Leadership:
- What does high performance mean to Matt? How has that changed over time?
- What does truly great listening mean to Matt as a leader today? Where do many get this wrong?
- How does Matt approach decision-making today? What are the two types of decisions?
- What are Matt's biggest insecurities in leadership today? How have they changed over time?
3.) Matt Mullenweg: The Person:
- Why does Matt have insecurities around his body? How do those insecurities manifest?
- What did Matt learn about himself in the pre-grieving process before his father's passing?
- How does Matt assess his own relationship to risk today?
- How does Matt think through his relationship to money today? Has it changed?
4.) WordPress: The Company:
- Why did Matt decide it was the right decision to buy Tumblr? Why did Matt make himself the CEO earlier this year?
- With many strong cashflow businesses within Automattic, how does Matt think through the balance between growth and profitability?
- Why does Automattic not have any emails within the company? How do 2,000 people communicate so effectively?
Items Mentioned in Today's Episode:
Matt's Favourite Book: Principles by Ray Dalio
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is 20VC with me, Harry Stebbings. |
| 0:02.1 | Now, simply put, the most special episodes for me are when we get incredible content out of our guests that they've never shared publicly before. |
| 0:08.7 | Today's show is exactly that. |
| 0:10.4 | I met this guest at our mutual friend, Shaq's Wedding, and I've wanted to do this show ever since. |
| 0:14.8 | I think he's one of the defining leaders of a generation, and I'm so thrilled to welcome Matt Mullenweg, founder of Automatic, the force behind |
| 0:21.6 | WordPress, Tumblr, WooCommerce, Jetpack and many more. What started as a simple |
| 0:26.5 | open source blogging platform, Matt has turned into one of the most significant internet |
| 0:30.7 | properties of our generation, now powering over 43% of sites on the internet. Alongside Automatic, |
| 0:36.7 | Matt also invests through Audrey Capital and has |
| 0:38.9 | backed the lights of Stripe, SpaceX, GitLab and SendGrid, to name a few. I'd also want to say |
| 0:43.6 | a huge thank you to Shaq for making this show possible, and then also a big hand to Tony Schneider, |
| 0:48.2 | Hugo Barrow, on Malik for some amazing questions suggestions. I really did so appreciate that. |
| 0:53.4 | But before we move into the episode |
| 0:54.7 | today, Harvard management company is constantly seeking out the next generation of great |
| 0:59.1 | investors and entrepreneurs. HMC has managed Harvard University's endowment for nearly 50 years |
| 1:04.5 | and was one of the first institutional investors in venture capital. Their experience and long-term |
| 1:09.1 | investment horizon make them ideal partners |
| 1:11.3 | to get world-changing ideas on a path to viability and success. They work as a true partner, |
| 1:16.7 | providing insightful perspectives to help managers succeed. I personally have had the pleasure |
| 1:21.1 | of working with the HMC team and can say that they're truly exceptional partners and savvy investors. |
| 1:26.7 | Whether you're launching your first fund or your fifth, |
| 1:29.2 | HMC welcomes the opportunity to partner with both developing and established managers. |
... |
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