Automattic, WordPress’ Parent Company, Moves Into E-Commerce With WooThemes Acquisition
Deal, estimated at more than $30 million, gives Automattic nearly 400 employees worldwide.
Automattic, the parent company of WordPress, has announced its acquisition of WooThemes, the maker of popular blog themes and an even more popular WordPress-based, ecommerce platform called WooCommerce.
The WooCommerce plugin currently has more than 7.6 million downloads and more than a million active installations. In his blog post announcing the deal, Automattic co-founder Matt Mullenweg also cites BuiltWith.com statistics that show WooCommerce is in use on almost 25 percent of all websites with ecommerce technology.
Mullenweg says the company’s move into ecommerce has been something users have been asking for a while now.
…at a WordCamp a few years ago, someone stood up and asked me when we were going to make it as easy to create an online store as we’d made it to create a blog. Everyone applauded; there’s long been demand for better ecommerce functionality, but it’s been outside the scope of what Automattic could do well.
According to Recode.net, sources are putting the purchase at more than $30 million in cash and stock. Automattic now has 380 employees spread across 42 countries.
For more perspective on the Automattic/WooThemes deal, check out Brian Krogsgard’s article on Post Status.
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