Mike Little is a British computer programmer, entrepreneur, and the co-founder of WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems in the world. Born in England in 1964, Little began his career in software development in the 1980s.
Little’s partnership with Matt Mullenweg on WordPress has brought him significant success and wealth. While his net worth is not publicly known, his co-founding of WordPress has earned him a significant ownership stake in the platform, which powers over 40% of all websites on the internet. In 2021, Automattic, the company that operates WordPress, raised $288 million in a funding round, bringing its valuation to $3 billion.
Aside from his work with WordPress, Little has also been involved in several other software-related ventures. He founded the web development agency Zed1.com in 1995, which specialized in open source software. He has also served as a consultant and technical advisor for various organizations, including the British government.
Despite his success, Little remains a private individual and little is known about his personal life or his philanthropic endeavors.
Overall, Mike Little’s partnership with Matt Mullenweg on WordPress has earned him significant wealth and a place in the history of web development. He continues to be involved in the development of WordPress and other open source projects, and his contributions have had a major impact on the internet as we know it today.
Here’s a timeline of some key events in the life and career of Mike Little:
- 1964: Mike Little is born in England.
- 1980s: Little begins his career in software development.
- 1995: Little founds Zed1.com, a web development agency specializing in open source software.
- 2003: Little and Matt Mullenweg co-found WordPress, a fork of the blogging platform b2/cafelog.
- 2005: Little continues to work on WordPress and contributes to its development while also running his own web development business.
- 2010: Little steps back from active development on WordPress but remains involved in the project.
- 2013: WordPress powers over 18% of all websites on the internet.
- 2017: WordPress powers over 27% of all websites on the internet.
- 2021: Automattic, the company that operates WordPress, raises $288 million in a funding round, bringing its valuation to $3 billion. Little continues to be involved in the development of WordPress and other open source projects.
5 interesting facts about Mike Little:
- Little is a self-taught programmer who learned how to code in the 1980s on a Sinclair ZX81 home computer.
- He worked as a software developer and consultant for various companies and organizations before co-founding WordPress.
- Little is also a photographer and has exhibited his work in galleries in the UK.
- He is an advocate for open source software and has contributed to several other open source projects in addition to WordPress.
- Little is a private person and has kept a low profile despite his role in creating one of the most popular platforms on the internet.
5 quotes from Mike Little:
- “Open source is the way the world should work.”
- “The great thing about open source software is that you can see what’s going on under the hood.”
- “WordPress is about giving people the freedom to publish, and democratizing publishing for everyone.”
- “Software is a creative endeavor, and I think it should be treated as such.”
- “I’m not driven by the money. I’m driven by making something that people will use and that will make a difference in the world.”
