I was offered $200M at 24 and I turned it down
About This Episode
Matt Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress, discusses his decision to turn down a $200 million acquisition offer at age 24 and his commitment to the open-source philosophy. He shares unique management tactics used at Automattic, including audition-based hiring and mandatory customer support rotations for all employees, while addressing recent industry drama regarding trademark protection.
Episode Description
Show Notes
Links
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Key Takeaways
Replace traditional interviews with paid 'auditions' or trial projects to evaluate a candidate's actual work performance before making a permanent hire.
Require every employee, including executives, to perform regular customer support rotations to ensure the entire company remains grounded in user needs and product friction.
Prioritize written communication skills during the hiring process, as clear writing is often the best indicator of clear thinking and effective collaboration in distributed environments.