#713: 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

Brought to you by Momentous high-quality supplements, Helix Sleep premium mattresses, and AG1 all-in-one nutritional supplement.

Matt 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!

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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.).

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[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.

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