Matt Mullenweg

Hosting the open project. Mullenweg co-created WordPress in 2003 and founded Automattic in 2005, which runs WordPress.com, a hosted version, and sells add-ons, while the open-source software stays free for anyone to install. The arrangement relies on thousands of volunteer contributors and on hosting companies building on the code. His 2024 dispute with WP Engine, which he accused of profiting without contributing, tested where a company's interest ends and the project's begins.