Top all-time · #184
Matt Mullenweg
Personal blog · ma.ttbusinessstartups
Matt Mullenweg's personal blog at ma.tt covers business and startups. Since 2008, 245 different Hacker News readers have linked it 361 times, most often “WP Engine and Trademarks”. It is still writing: the last post was on 2026-10-17, and you can follow it by feed.
Rarely recommended · 2 of 40 sampled comments recommend it?
Why HN links it
HN readers link this blog mostly as a source for Mullenweg's own statements on WordPress, Automattic and WP Engine, and in disputes over his conduct.
- Recommended for · 2 comments
- Called a nice overview, and listed among one commenter's favorite blogs.
Summarised by Claude from a sample of 40 HN comments that link here. Each comment is marked recommending, critical or neutral (citing without judging); how this works.
Unlucky in Cards
Most-linked posts?
- WP Engine and Trademarks7 people · 7 mentions · first linked 2024-09-26
- Dance to Calypso (100% JavaScript WordPress)7 people · 7 mentions · first linked 2015-11-23
- 1.0 Is The Loneliest Number6 people · 7 mentions · first linked 2010-11-09
- On React and WordPress6 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2017-09-15
- Charitable Contributions – Matt Mullenweg6 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2024-09-25
- Don’t Mute, Get a Better Headset5 people · 6 mentions · first linked 2020-03-25
- Response to DHH5 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2024-10-14
- The Wix Mobile App, a WordPress Joint5 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2016-10-28
- Gone (Almost) Phishin'5 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2026-03-10
- Starting a Bank5 people · 5 mentions · first linked 2009-08-21
What Hacker News says?
Not at all. There was an exodus brewing. For starters: https://ma.tt/2017/09/on-react-and-wordpress/ https://hacks.hyperspacer.com/app/items/15256532
Comment linking /2017/09/on-react-and-wordpress/
on “Relicensing React, Jest, Flow, and Immutable.js”Submitted On React and WordPress as a story · 543 points
HN discussionThank you, Wordpress.[1] [1] https://ma.tt/2017/09/on-react-and-wordpress/
Comment linking /2017/09/on-react-and-wordpress/
on “Relicensing React, Jest, Flow, and Immutable.js”Submitted WP21 as a story · 426 points
HN discussionphotomatt co-founded automattic. https://ma.tt/
Comment linking /
on “Verizon to Sell Tumblr to Automattic”Submitted Pocket Casts goes open source as a story · 377 points
HN discussionMatt Mullenweg actually registered the domain for $500 per year for the first 2 years :) .tt domains are quite expensive in general so I think he got a pretty good deal for ma.tt https://ma.tt/2008/01/on-matt/ Interesting conincidence, the .blog TLD used by diff.blog, is owned by Automattic, the company started by Matt Mullenweg :)
Comment linking /2008/01/on-matt/
on “Ask HN: Favorite Blogs by Individuals?”Submitted WordPress 18 as a story · 301 points
HN discussionhttps://ma.tt I wonder how much that domain costs. 2-letter domains are always sold at a premium regardless of TLD.
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: Favorite Blogs by Individuals?”Submitted How Paul Graham Is Wrong as a story · 301 points
HN discussionA couple of my favorite blogs - http://antirez.com/ - https://martin.kleppmann.com/archive.html - https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing - https://ma.tt/ - https://www.allthingsdistributed.com/ - https://jvns.ca/ - https://www.johndcook.com/blog - http://feross.org/ - https://ridiculousfish.com/blog/ - https://blog.andrewcantino.com/ - https://nickcraver.com/blog/ - https://blog.acolyer.org - https://blog.coding…
Comment linking /
on “Ask HN: Favorite Blogs by Individuals?”Submitted Wix and Their Dirty Tricks as a story · 264 points
HN discussionWebcams feel like a deadend technology like self-rewinding cassettes on the eve of the release of the compact disc. The fidelity is garbage relative to something like a DSLR inside an Errol Box[1] and miles away from Starline style holography[2]. Eye contact is poor. Putting in a software filter to fix eye contact should be universal practice at this point. Hell even getting basic ring light next to your lens is uni…
Comment linking /2020/05/ceo-video-streaming
on “Webcams aren't good enough”Submitted Legal win as a story · 263 points
HN discussionThere is nobody left to disagree with him, he made sure of that. Disagreeing with him at this point means he's gonna come after you [1], your job [2] or your reputation [3]. 1. https://ma.tt/2024/10/on-dhh/ 2. https://kindness.is/examples/2010/mullenweg-the-coward/ 3. https://ma.tt/2024/12/inc-hit-piece/
Comment linking /2024/12/inc-hit-piece/
on “WordPress Is in Trouble”Submitted WordPress 5.0: A Gutenberg FAQ as a story · 194 points
HN discussionLong post, writing this for myself as well: The players - WordPress is open source, under GPLv2; a least since 2011; - WordPress is managed by the WordPress Foundation since 2010 with Matthew Charles Mullenweg as director; - Automattic is a private company that owns and runs WordPress.com, whose CEO and founder is Matthew Charles Mullenweg; - WP Engine is a separated company that uses Wordpress that makes money by h…
Comment linking /2024/09/wordpress-engine/
on “Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]”Submitted Response to DHH as a story · 176 points
HN discussionI mean not only he hopped on a live stream to babble before going to court, he bragged about it and said the WP Engine people are afraid to do the same. This is school yard level big brain moves. https://ma.tt/2024/09/on-theprimeagen/ > I dropped on the livestream for ThePrimeagen earlier today after a colleague pinged me that he was talking about the Silver Lake / WP Engine situation. > Afterward, I also privately…
Comment linking /2024/09/on-theprimeagen/
on “Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]”Submitted Thoughts on tech employment as a story · 167 points
HN discussionhttps://ma.tt/2024/09/charitable-contributions/
Comment linking /2024/09/charitable-contributions/
on “Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]”Submitted The Redhat of Drupal as a story · 163 points
HN discussionIt would be unsurprising if someone who named a company after themselves turned out to be a narcissist who couldn’t help themselves. https://ma.tt/2003/04/hit-diggity/
Comment linking /2003/04/hit-diggity/
on “Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]”Submitted Starting a Bank as a story · 144 points
HN discussion> > during which he gave the CEO’s personal cell phone number to the interviewer and encouraged him to contact her. She was in fact contacted by the interviewer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUJgahHjAKU > I watched the whole interview they linked to and don't recall that happening He admits it here: > Afterward, I also privately shared with him the cell phone for Heather Brunner, the WP Engine CEO, so she can hop…
Comment linking /2024/09/on-theprimeagen/
on “Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]”Submitted 1.0 Is The Loneliest Number as a story · 142 points
HN discussionI understand the workings of the trademark. The question I asked of you (that you avoided) is why did you claim that the trademark was "fully independent from any company" and that Automattic had "give[n] up control". [0] That's demonstrably untrue. The assignment on file with the USPTO is clear: >WordPress Foundation, a California nonprofit public benefit corporation, ... hereby grants to Automattic Inc., an exclus…
Comment linking /2010/09/wordpress-trademark/
on “Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]”Submitted Automattic Purchases .blog TLD for $19M as a story · 121 points
HN discussionSource for the Mullenweg statement https://ma.tt/2010/09/wordpress-trademark
Comment linking /2010/09/wordpress-trademark
on “Filed: WP Engine Inc. v Automattic Inc. and Matthew Charles Mullenweg [pdf]”Submitted Tumblr the Day After as a story · 118 points
HN discussion
