Interview with Matt Mullenweg on The Tim Ferriss Show podcast. The post Matt Mullenweg — The Art of Crafting a Sabbatical, Tips for Defending Against Hackers, Leveraging Open Source, Thriving in an AI World, and Tips for Life’s Darkest...
Illustration via 99designs
“Companies don’t die from competition. They usually die from suicide.”
— Matt MullenwegMatt Mullenweg (@photomatt) is co-founder of the open-source publishing platform WordPress, which now powers over 40 percent of all sites on the web. He is the founder and CEO of Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Tumblr, WPVIP, Day One, Texts, and Pocket Casts. Additionally, Matt runs Audrey Capital, an investment and research company. He has been recognized for his leadership by Forbes, Bloomberg Businessweek, Inc., TechCrunch, Fortune, Fast Company, Wired, University Philosophical Society, and Vanity Fair.
Matt is originally from Houston, Texas, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and studied jazz saxophone. In his spare time, Matt is an avid photographer. He currently splits his time between Houston and San Francisco.
Please enjoy!
This episode is brought to you by AG1! I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG1 further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system.
Right now, you’ll get a 1-year supply of Vitamin D free with your first subscription purchase—a vital nutrient for a strong immune system and strong bones. Visit DrinkAG1.com/Tim to claim this special offer today and receive your 1-year supply of Vitamin D (and 5 free AG1 travel packs) with your first subscription purchase! That’s up to a one-year supply of Vitamin D as added value when you try their delicious and comprehensive daily, foundational nutrition supplement that supports whole-body health.
This episode is also brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements! Momentous offers high-quality supplements and products across a broad spectrum of categories, and I’ve been testing their products for months now. I’ve been using their magnesium threonate, apigenin, and L-theanine daily, all of which have helped me improve the onset, quality, and duration of my sleep. I’ve also been using Momentous creatine, and while it certainly helps physical performance, including poundage or wattage in sports, I use it primarily for mental performance (short-term memory, etc.).
Their products are third-party tested (Informed-Sport and/or NSF certified), so you can trust that what is on the label is in the bottle and nothing else. If you want to try Momentous for yourself, you can use code Tim for 25% off your one-time purchase at LiveMomentous.com/Tim. And not to worry, my non-US friends, Momentous ships internationally and has you covered.
This episode is brought to you by Helix Sleep! Helix was selected as the best overall mattress of 2022 by GQ magazine, Wired, and Apartment Therapy. With Helix, there’s a specific mattress to meet each and every body’s unique comfort needs. Just take their quiz—only two minutes to complete—that matches your body type and sleep preferences to the perfect mattress for you. They have a 10-year warranty, and you get to try it out for a hundred nights, risk-free. They’ll even pick it up from you if you don’t love it. And now, Helix is offering 20% off all mattress orders plus two free pillows at HelixSleep.com/Tim.
Want to hear the episode Matt Mullenweg and I did from Antarctica? Listen to our conversation here in which we discussed whisky, perpetual daylight, living with zero internet access, the “patient” landscape of Antarctica, witnessing a total solar eclipse, the grieving process, podcast tech specs, existential revelations, bucket list items, and much more.
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 Mullenweg:Twitter | Instagram | Blog | Facebook | Spotify
Automattic WordPress.com WordPress.org WooCommerce Tumblr WordPress VIP Day One Texts Pocket Casts Audrey Capital Spam Protection for Websites | Akismet Berkshire Hathaway Buyers of First Resort | Works in Progress Open-Source Software | Wikipedia Philosophy | WordPress.org Tom Sawyer Whitewashing the Fence | PBS “The First Thing Our New Hire Did…” | (ROBIN) at Twitter Could Your Hiring Process Use Some ‘Mystery Shopping’? | Indeed What Is Red Teaming? | WhatIs.com What’s in My Bag, 2023 | Matt Mullenweg State of the Word | WordPress.org The #1 App for Meditation and Sleep | Calm Apple’s Newest Headache: An App That Upended Its Control Over Messaging | The New York Times Candies & Chocolates Online | See’s Candies The 2020s Will Be an Era of Atoms, Not Bits | Digital Tonto Twitter to Remove Free API Access in Latest Money Making Quest | The Verge The Customer Company | Salesforce The Many Annoying Ways Google Forced Users onto Google+ | The Verge Notes | App Store A Note-Taking Tool for Networked Thought | Roam Research Sharpen Your Thinking | Obsidian The DevSecOps Platform | GitLab Secure Collaboration and Messaging | Element Power Your Entire Business | Square Jack Dorsey Gives Decentralized Social Network Nostr 14 BTC in Funding | CoinDesk Bluesky Simple, Secure, Reliable Messaging | WhatsApp Speak Freely | Signal A Conversation with Charlie Munger & John Collison | Invest Like the Best Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse | Amazon Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis | Amazon Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality by Anthony de Mello | Amazon The Acceleration of Addictiveness | Paul Graham How to Do Great Work | Paul Graham Slate Star Codex The Knowledge Project Podcast The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Anything, and Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss | Amazon The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich by Tim Ferriss | Amazon Making Commerce Better for Everyone | Shopify Writers’ Strike 2023: Historic Strike Ends, Impacts Hollywood | Los Angeles Times Wait But Why The Top Idea in Your Mind | Paul Graham Maker’s Schedule, Manager’s Schedule | Paul Graham Candyman | Prime Video Paul Graham on Ambition, Art, and Evaluating Talent | Conversations with Tyler Small Steps Toward a Much Better World | Marginal Revolution National Fed Challenge | Wikipedia Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) | The Fed Effective Federal Funds Rate | Federal Bank Reserve of New York What Is the Illuminati? 9 Questions about the Illuminati, Answered | Vox Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts Blogging the Milt Friedman Conference | Matt Mullenweg Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength by Bill Phillips and Michael D’Orso | Amazon Red Ocean Strategy vs. Blue Ocean Strategy I Blue Ocean Strategy What Is USB-C? An Explainer | PCMag Apple Pushes Back Against iPhone USB-C Regulations in India | MacRumors 6000mah Ultra Slim Built in Cables Power Bank | Amazon Prompt Engineering Guide Introducing ChatGPT | OpenAI Midjourney Sweeping Changes for Leading-Edge Chip Architectures | Semiconductor Engineering Car Dealership Disturbed When Its AI Is Caught Offering Chevys for $1 Each | Futurism Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline by Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson | Amazon World Population Growth Is Expected to Nearly Stop By 2100 | Pew Research Center Will Traditional Colleges and Universities Become Obsolete? | Smithsonian Magazine Hobbes’ Moral and Political Philosophy | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss | Amazon We Cannot Predict the Future, But We Can Invent It | Quote Investigator Will Data Liberation Grow WordPress? | The WP Minute Create a Free Website Today | Wix Apple Says It ‘Expects to Make’ App Store Policy Changes Due to EU DMA | TechCrunch Every Apple App Store Fee, Explained: How Much, for What, and When | AppleInsider Beta Testing made simple with TestFlight | Apple Developer Blazingly Fast Email for Teams and Individuals | Superhuman Twitter Is Still Throttling Competitors’ Links — Check for Yourself | The Markup Google AMP: How Google Tried to Fix the Web by Taking It Over | The Verge All-In Summit: Bill Gurley Presents 2,851 Miles | All-In Podcast A Stark Contrast Between the US and Europe on Tests | Bloomberg How Alignment Charts Went From Dungeons & Dragons to a Meme | The Atlantic Password Manager for Families, Businesses, Teams | 1Password Passkeys (Passkey Authentication) | FIDO Alliance What is PGP Encryption? Pretty Good Privacy Explained | Fortinet WordCamp Asia 2023 Taipei City | Tourism Administration Ratatouille | Prime Video Tim Ferriss and Matt Mullenweg in Antarctica: Exploring Personal Fears, Bucket Lists, Facing Grief, Crafting Life Missions, and Tim’s Best Penguin Impressions | The Tim Ferriss Show #578 Automattic’s Sabbatical Benefit | Automattic Open Vacation Policy: How Automattic Makes It Work | Culture Amp How to Take a Mini-Retirement: Tips and Tricks | Tim Ferriss Jerry Colonna — How to Reboot Yourself and Feel Unrushed in the New Year | The Tim Ferriss Show #554 Jerry Colonna — The Coach with the Spider Tattoo | The Tim Ferriss Show #373 Your Body Called, Your Future Self Answered | Blueprint Hedonic Treadmill | Psychology Today The Lessons of History by Will Durant and Ariel Durant | Amazon Fallen Leaves: Last Words on Life, Love, War, and God by Will Durant | Amazon Anti-Nuclear Movement | Wikipedia Former Greenpeace Director Explains His Support for Nuclear Energy | ANS / Nuclear Newswire What Are the Safest and Cleanest Sources of Energy? | Our World in Data A Nuclear Innovation Company | TerraPower Clean, Reliable, Affordable Energy | Oklo Reefer Madness | Prime Video Psychedelics 101: Books, Documentaries, Podcasts, Science, and More | Tim Ferriss Dr. Gül Dölen on Rethinking Psychedelics, New Applications (Autism, Stroke, and Allergies), The Neurobiology of Beginner’s Mind, Octopuses on MDMA, and The Master Key of Metaplasticity | The Tim Ferriss Show #667 Some Thoughts on For-Profit Psychedelic Startups and Companies | Tim Ferriss The World’s Largest Psychedelic Research Center | The Tim Ferriss Show #385 How Many People Have Died at Disney World? | Something About Orange Dr. Nolan Williams: Psychedelics and Neurostimulation for Brain Rewiring | Huberman Lab “The Iceman,” Wim Hof | The Tim Ferriss Show #102 About Holotropic Breathwork | Grof Transpersonal Training Holotropic Breathwork: A New Approach to Self-Exploration and Therapy by Stanislav Grof and Christina Grof | Amazon A Leading Center for Exploring Human Potential | Esalen Institute Waking Up with Sam Harris App Depression: How You Label Determines How You Feel | Tim Ferriss Some Practical Thoughts on Suicide | Tim Ferriss “Productivity” Tricks for the Neurotic, Manic-Depressive, and Crazy (Like Me) | Tim Ferriss Dr. John Krystal — All Things Ketamine, The Most Comprehensive Podcast Episode Ever | The Tim Ferriss Show #625 Accelerated TMS: Moving Quickly into the Future of Depression Treatment | Neuropsychopharmacology Stanford Accelerated Intelligent Neuromodulation Therapy (SAINT) for Treatment-Resistant Depression | American Journal of Psychiatry How to Discover Your Peak State with Emotional Triad Psychology | Tony Robbins Excellent Advice for Living: Wisdom I Wish I’d Known Earlier by Kevin Kelly | Amazon Sir Richard Branson — The Billionaire Maverick of the Virgin Empire | The Tim Ferriss Show #272 The Work | Byron Katie One in Five Young Americans Think the Holocaust Is a Myth — And It’s All Down to TikTok | The Jewish Chronicle These Countries Have Bans on Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok | Time Blog Articles | Derek Sivers Libby’s Vienna Sausage | Amazon Flour + Water Pizzeria Delfina La Connessa Saison Heinz Ranch Single-Serve Packets (Pack of 200) | Amazon What is Wabi Sabi? The Elusive Beauty of Imperfection | Japan Objects Transcendental Meditation Dr. Willoughby Britton — The Hidden Risks of Meditation, Overlaps with Psychedelic Risks, Harm Reduction Strategies, How to Choose a Retreat, Near-Death Experiences, and More | The Tim Ferriss Show #705 Defying Cavity: Lantern Bioworks FAQ | Astral Codex Ten Gene-Engineered Mouth Bacteria | Lantern Bioworks ZBiotics Pre-Alcohol Probiotic Drink | Amazon USB Mini Disco Light | AmazonSHOW NOTES
[05:12] The Argentine Dr. Mullenweg. [08:15] Open source. [10:19] Secret hiring. [12:59] Matt is always on tour. [15:14] Texts. [17:39] How Matt chooses his next project(s). [21:51] Building a digital Berkshire Hathaway. [29:01] Why Matt’s excited about messaging. [32:03] How Matt discovers companies he buys. [32:53] RIP, Charlie Munger. [33:28] Worthy rereads. [37:10] My reflections on blogging, writing, and podcasting. [48:55] Tyler Cowen’s inimitable style. [49:42] Matt’s high school economics competition. [57:05] Cables. [57:59] AI spellcasting and community. [1:01:09] Developments that will amaze the future. [1:04:51] AI-proofing jobs. [1:07:23] Why Matt’s optimistic about future generations. [1:12:17] Data Liberation Front. [1:14:12] More open app stores. [1:18:53] Invisible tools (and weapons) of competition. [1:23:40] Online security advice for the layman. [1:26:21] WordCamp Asia. [1:32:12] Taking a sa-Matt-ical. [1:45:25] Rethinking nuclear energy. [1:47:20] Rethinking psychedelics risks. [1:57:59] Rethinking breathwork. [2:02:05] Coping with depression. [2:15:16] Rethinking TikTok. [2:16:40] Blogging: absurd and beautiful. [2:18:40] Rethinking Vienna sausages. [2:19:57] Pocket ranch. [2:21:36] Answering ancient emails. [2:22:45] The curse of the ultra-critical eye. [2:25:51] Rethinking meditation. [2:28:38] Bacterial dentistry. [2:32:06] Pocket party. [2:32:55] Parting thoughts.MORE MATT MULLENWEG QUOTES FROM THE INTERVIEW
“Don’t build on proprietary platforms. They can pull the rug and will pull the rug at any point. In open source, one, the rug can’t be pulled. Two, typically they’re ultra pluggable. You can really change every line of WordPress.”
— Matt Mullenweg
“How do we help bend the long arc towards more freedom, more liberty across the world? Technology does that better than, I think, any sort of diplomacy or anything else that I could work on.”
— Matt Mullenweg
“Companies don’t die from competition. They usually die from suicide.”
— Matt Mullenweg
“If you have the people on your side, I feel like that’s what truly matters in the long term.”
— Matt Mullenweg
PEOPLE MENTIONED
Tom Sawyer Huckleberry Finn The Rolling Stones Charlie Munger Warren Buffett Benjamin Franklin Sid Sijbrandij Jack Dorsey Brian Acton John Collison Anthony de Mello Paul Graham Scott Alexander Shane Parrish Andrew Huberman Rich Roll Neil Strauss Seth Godin Tim Urban Tyler Cowen Alan Greenspan Ben Bernanke Beyonce? Robert Glasper Scott Roman Milton Friedman Bill Phillips William Shakespeare Sam Altman Greg Brockman Cyan Banister Roon Kevin Kelly Thomas Hobbes Alan Turing Alan Kay Elon Musk Bill Gurley Toni Schneider Jerry Colonna Bryan Johnson Will Durant Ariel Durant Bill Gates Gül Dölen Roland Griffiths Nolan Williams Wim Hof Tony Robbins Sam Harris Stan Grof Humpty Dumpty John Krystal Richard Branson Byron Katie Derek Sivers Ludwig van Beethoven Willoughby BrittonThe post Matt Mullenweg — The Art of Crafting a Sabbatical, Tips for Defending Against Hackers, Leveraging Open Source, Thriving in an AI World, and Tips for Life’s Darkest Hours (#713) appeared first on The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss.