What Automattic does

Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Tumblr, Jetpack, Simplenote, Day One, and Pocket Casts. If you’ve ever read a blog, bought something from a small online shop, or scrolled Tumblr at 2am, you’ve used their products. WordPress alone powers over 800 million websites. WooCommerce runs roughly 25% of all online stores.

Founded in 2005 by Matt Mullenweg, who co-created the WordPress open-source project at age 19, Automattic builds tools that democratise publishing and commerce on the web. They’re one of the most consequential tech companies most people have never heard of – and they’ve been fully distributed since before distributed work had a name.

They once had a beautiful San Francisco office. They closed it because nobody showed up. That tells you everything about their culture.

Remote culture: what it’s actually like

Automattic is one of the original distributed companies. Their ~1,900 employees work across 90+ countries, speaking 120+ languages. There is no headquarters. There is no expectation of being online at specific hours.

Internal communication happens primarily through P2 – their internal blogging platform – and Slack. The emphasis is on written, async communication. Decisions are documented publicly within the company. The open-source DNA of WordPress runs through everything: transparency, contribution, and community are core to how the company operates.

The hiring process itself reveals the culture. Before you’re officially hired, you do a paid trial working on real projects – typically 2-4 weeks, part-time, alongside your current job. This isn’t a take-home test. It’s a genuine simulation of what working at Automattic feels like: async communication, self-direction, real deliverables. They pay $25/hour for the trial.

The annual Grand Meetup brings the entire company together in a different global location for a week of collaboration and connection. These events are the counterbalance to the distributed default – concentrated relationship-building that sustains remote collaboration for the rest of the year.

A note on leadership culture: Automattic is a strongly founder-led organisation, and Matt Mullenweg’s personal convictions shape the company’s direction. In late 2024, a public dispute with WP Engine over WordPress trademark usage led to significant upheaval – including staff departures, “alignment offers” (essentially severance for those who disagreed with the company’s stance), and heated debate within the open-source community. It’s worth understanding that when leadership takes a strong position at Automattic, it tends to be non-negotiable. For some people that’s clarity; for others it’s a red flag. Do your research on recent events before applying.

The honest assessment: Automattic’s distributed culture works brilliantly for self-directed people who communicate well in writing. But the autonomy cuts both ways. You need to be proactive about your own visibility, career progression, and connection with colleagues. Nobody is going to check on you daily. If that sounds liberating, you’ll thrive. If it sounds isolating, consider carefully.

Hiring in Europe: the details

Countries: 90+ countries – one of the widest geographic spreads in tech. European team members are well-represented across the EU and beyond.

Employment model: A mix of direct hire and contractor arrangements depending on your country. Automattic has significant experience navigating international employment across dozens of jurisdictions.

Timezone expectations: Genuinely flexible. With 90+ countries represented, there’s no dominant timezone. Async communication is the default, and synchronous overlap is coordinated rather than assumed.

Salary approach: Competitive, benchmarked globally. Automattic uses their own data and market research to set compensation. Combined with an open vacation policy (no set limit), $3,000/year professional development budget, and premium health coverage, the total package is strong.

Language requirements: English is the primary working language.

Who they’re looking for

Automattic’s size means they hire across nearly every function:

  • Engineering (PHP, JavaScript/React, mobile, systems)
  • Product design and UX
  • Marketing and growth
  • Happiness Engineers (customer support – and they take this title seriously)
  • Business development and partnerships
  • Data and analytics
  • Legal, finance, and operations

The hiring process is distinctive: text-based interviews via Slack or P2 (not video – they want to see how you communicate in writing), followed by the paid trial project. The entire process can take 4-8 weeks.

What current and former employees say

Employees praise the genuine autonomy, the global community, and the open-source culture. The paid trial is frequently cited as the best hiring practice in tech – it removes interview anxiety and lets both sides make an informed decision based on real work.

The challenges: the scale of the company (1,900 people) combined with full distribution means it can be hard to build deep relationships. Some employees describe pockets of the company that feel siloed. The open vacation policy – while generous in principle – can create uncertainty about how much time off is “acceptable” to actually take. And the rapid expansion of the product portfolio means priorities can shift.

For people who love WordPress, open source, and genuine autonomy, Automattic is frequently described as a dream job. For those who prefer clearer structure and more frequent human interaction, the adjustment is real.

How to apply

Specific tips: Contributing to WordPress open-source projects is genuinely noticed – code, documentation, translations, or support forum answers all count. Start a WordPress blog to show you understand the ecosystem. For the paid trial, treat it like a job: communicate proactively about progress, ask questions in writing, and demonstrate that you can manage your own time. Many strong interview candidates struggle with the trial because they’re not accustomed to this level of independence.

See our full guide to Remote-First Companies That Actually Hire in Europe.