Photo credit: Aminul Islam Sajib
“If someone has those four things — work ethic, taste, integrity, and curiosity — I believe that you can learn anything in the world.” – Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) is most associated with a tool that powers more than 25% of the entire Web: WordPress. He’s also the CEO of Automattic, which is a multi-billion dollar, fully distributed startup. Matt loves tea, tequila, and Chicken McNuggets.
His first time on the show went over so well that you’ve all been asking for a round two. So in this episode, he answers your most popular questions.
If you only have 5 minutes, you’ll want to hear Matt’s thoughts on the factors (other than hard work) most likely to lead to a successful career.
Please enjoy!
Listen to it on iTunes.
Stream by clicking here.
Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Want to hear another interview with Matt Mullenweg? — Listen to his first appearance on the podcast. In this episode, we discuss polyphasic sleep, tequila, and building billion-dollar companies (stream below or right-click here to download):
This podcast is brought to you by Vimeo Business. Vimeo Business has all of the prior benefits of Vimeo Pro, including VIP support. Whether you make videos for a living, run your own company, or simply want to amp up your video marketing, Vimeo Business is here to help. It has more than 280 million creators and viewers worldwide and makes it easier to share your videos with a global audience and connect with professional video makers to bring your stories to life.
Vimeo Business allows you to upload up to five terabytes and store your videos in one secure place, add up to 10 team members to your account for easy collaboration, and gather feedback with seamless review tools. You can even add clickable calls to action and capture email addresses directly in the player, which can help you generate leads and drive conversion for whatever you’re trying to optimize, such as a newsletter or a sales page. Check out vimeo.com/tim10 to save 10 percent on Vimeo Business.
This podcast is also brought to you by Wealthfront. Wealthfront is a massively disruptive (in a good way) set-it-and-forget-it investing service led by technologists from places like Apple. It has exploded in popularity in the last two years and now has more than $2.5B under management. Why? Because you can get services previously limited to the ultra-wealthy and only pay pennies on the dollar for them, and it’s all through smarter software instead of retail locations and bloated sales teams.
Check out wealthfront.com/tim, take their risk assessment quiz, which only takes 2-5 minutes, and they’ll show you for free the exactly the portfolio they’d put you in. If you want to just take their advice and do it yourself, you can. Well worth a few minutes to explore: wealthfront.com/tim.
QUESTION(S) OF THE DAY: What was your favorite quote or lesson from this episode? Please let me know in the comments.
Scroll below for links and show notes…
Selected Links from the Episode
Connect with Matt:
Twitter | Blog | Facebook | Spotify
Matt Mullenweg on Polyphasic Sleep, Tequila, and Building Billion-Dollar Companies (Matt’s first appearance on this show)
(A few of) Matt’s companies and services: WordPress, Jetpack, and Automattic
Zoom video conferencing
Slack team communication
How P2 Changed Automattic by Matt Mullenweg
Google Apps
Automattic Grand Meetup 2016 – Whistler, Canada by Clicky Steve
US citizens who travel frequently should see if they qualify for TSA Precheck and Global Entry.
Matt uses Google Fi for his Internet connection on the go.
What’s in Matt’s Bag 2016 edition
WordPress.com Parent Automattic Raises $160 Million, Valued at $1.16 Billion by Liz Gannes, Recode
Calm meditation app
Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery and Art of Living by Krista Tippett
Communication platforms Matt mentions: Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and bbPress
Commerce platforms Matt mentions: Shopify, BigCommerce, Ecwid, and WooCommerce
QWERTY vs. Dvorak as Fast as Possible by Techquickie
Search Inside Yourself: The Unexpected Path to Achieving Success, Happiness (and World Peace) by Chade-Meng Tan, Daniel Goleman, and Jon Kabat-Zinn
Facebook Poke Is Dead…and So Is Facebook Camera by Ellis Hamburger, The Verge
Fire Phone One Year Later: Why Amazon’s Smartphone Flamed Out by Ben Fox Rubin, CNET
The World’s 50 Best Restaurants
Alpha Omega Winery
Foie gras
Chateau d’Yquem Winery
“Artificial intelligence” Web developer/designer tools mentioned: The Grid and Wix ADI
Even Early Focus Groups Hated Clippy by Robinson Meyer
Bots Won’t Replace Apps. Better Apps Will Replace Apps. by Dan Grover
What is deep learning?
Publications Matt reads to gauge hype cycles: The New Yorker, New York Magazine, The Economist, Wired, and Fast Company
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1984 by George Orwell
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by Neil Postman
Matt Mullenweg places on the 40 under 40 list, Fortune
Matt Mullenweg receives the Heinz Award in the Technology, the Economy, and Employment category
The Pomodoro Technique
Anatomy of a Critical Security Bug presentation by Andrew Nacin, Loop Conf
Matt uses Coach.me as part of his morning routine.
Elysium Health
Nootrobox KADO-3 krill and fish oil
Sun salutations (yoga)
Show Notes
Matt talks about what happened with WordPress and Automattic since his last tequila-fueled appearance on the show. [05:50]
What’s the hardest part about running a company with a distributed workforce? [06:43]
Matt’s seasoned tips for frequent travelers. [11:43]
Professional and personal advice Matt would give his younger self. [14:28]
What’s the most important skillset for an entrepreneur to develop? [18:12]
What non-technical characteristics does Matt look for when recruiting new employees? [20:24]
If WordPress is the platform of writing, and Shopify is the platform of commerce, what other platforms are worth developing? [22:39]
Matt talks about the toughest thing he deals with day-to-day. [26:36]
Once-important default settings (values or behaviors) Matt has since questioned and removed. [28:03]
What factors — aside from hard work — does Matt believe contribute significantly to success? [32:54]
Matt talks about failure and how even the big names don’t always get it right. [33:50]
What final food and drink is appropriate for greeting the apocalypse? [35:42]
Matt’s thoughts on so-called “artificial intelligence” web developer/designer tools — and if WordPress might utilize something like these in future. [39:40]
Matt on machine learning and deep learning. [45:25]
What would the next six months of Matt’s life look like if he’d been less successful thus far and had to start with nothing? [46:31]
How would Matt gauge hype cycles for what’s in demand if he were trying to start a new business today? [49:40]
Where does Matt see the future of the Internet in terms of user behavior? [52:05]
Is the demand for Web development still high, or is it stagnating? [56:18]
How does Matt motivate himself? [59:18]
How has Matt solved his biggest technical problems? [1:02:19]
What is Matt’s evening routine (if he has one)? [1:05:55]
Matt’s morning routine? [1:07:45]
People Mentioned
Brené Brown
Krista Tippett
Julia Hartz
Elon Musk
Steve Jobs
Jony Ive
Chade-Meng Tan
Andrew Nacin