Who owns WordPress?

Did you ever ask yourself who founded WordPress? Who owns WordPress? Is WordPress owned by Facebook or Microsoft? Who is the founder of WordPress?

It’s possible that not everyone is aware with the names Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, but those two names are surely well-known in the field of web development and the world of technology. Mullenweg and Little have permanently altered the appearance of the digital landscape as a result of their roles as co-founders of WordPress, the most widely used content management system in the world. Did you know that very big companies like CNN, eBay, Sony, GM, UPS, Forbes, Reuters, The New York Times (!), Samsung, IBM and TechCrunch are using WordPress as their blogging or website platform!?

WordPress Release

WordPress was initially developed in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg, a guy coming from Houston, Texas who was only 19 years old at the time. It was initially developed as a fork of an already existing blogging platform called b2/cafelog – you can read about their very first steps at his blog over here.

A French programmer named Michel Valdrighi created the blogging application b2/cafelog in 2001. WordPress was the tool’s replacement.

Mullenweg’s objective in 2002/2003 was to design a platform that was open-source, user-friendly, modifiable, and scalable all at the same time. Little, a web developer hailing from the United Kingdom, was recruited to assist with the development of the program, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Since its creation, WordPress has grown to power more than 43 percent of all websites on the internet, which makes it the most popular content management system (CMS) by a significant margin. But Mullenweg and Little didn’t just produce a strong tool for developing websites; they also built a community of developers, designers, and users who have contributed to making WordPress what it is today. This community has been instrumental in developing WordPress into its current state.

WordPress’s dedication to the development of open-source software has been an important factor in the company’s success. This indicates that the source code can be used, modified, or distributed without restriction by anybody who is interested in doing so. Because of this, a diverse group of programmers and contributors have been able to create plugins, themes, and other add-ons that extend the capabilities of WordPress even further.

Mike Little

The goal of making WordPress available to the widest possible audience has always been at the forefront of Mullenweg and Little’s thinking behind the project. WordPress is a content management system that can be tailored to meet the requirements of any user, be they bloggers, owners of small businesses, or executives at Fortune 500 companies. It has never been simpler to create a website that is both aesthetically pleasing and fully functioning thanks to the platform’s intuitive user interface and extensive resource library.

What do the founders today?

Mullenweg and Little have been active in a variety of different technological endeavors in addition to their work on the WordPress project. Mullenweg is the Chief Executive Officer of Automattic, the business that is responsible for WordPress.com and other well-known services such as Jetpack, Simplenote and WooCommerce. Though Automattic is according to Mullenweg his main focus he also advises and invest in startups through his company Audrey Capital. On the other side, Little has contributed to a number of open-source projects, one of which being the BuddyPress social networking software.

Mullenweg and Little have maintained their modesty and commitment to their profession, in spite of the many accomplishments they have achieved. They maintain their participation in the WordPress community and are continually searching for ways to enhance the functionality of the platform. Their contributions have not only helped to change the way that we create websites, but they have also contributed to the democratization of the internet and provided a voice to individuals who otherwise may not have had one.

In summing up, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little are two of the most significant personalities in the field of web development. Their development of the content management system known as WordPress has had a significant effect on the internet since it enables users from all walks of life to construct their own websites and communicate their thoughts to the rest of the world. Because of their dedication to open-source software and the WordPress community, they can be considered true pioneers in their industry. Answering the question if WordPress is owned by Facebook or Microsoft: WordPress.com is owned and operated by Automattic, Inc. which CEO is Matt Mullenweg.

If you want to know more about WordPress and its terms, check out our WordPress Terms Glossary.