Four Thousand, Five Hundred and Forty-Eight Days

Nearly 15 years ago, I emailed the 20-something-year-old founder of a little tech startup with a weird name. As I recall, there were maybe 20 or so people doing WordPress-y things there at the time. I started doing a bit of contract work (the hiring process wasn’t as organised back then as it is today!) and, a couple of years after that, signed up full time.

Over 12 years later, that weird little startup has grown into a big company. It does a whole lot more than just WordPress, and it’s been a spectacular ride to get here. I’ve seen tiny little experiments and hacks grow up to be hugely popular products; I’ve worked with some of the smartest and most talented people I’ve ever met; and I even got to help lead WordPress development for a while.

Along the way, I’ve travelled around the world multiple times, meeting thousands of folks in the WordPress community, in countless cities. We’ve built stuff together that’s been used by hundreds of millions of people and viewed by billions!

Over the years, there are very few parts of Automattic that I hadn’t at least dipped my toes into. I’m extremely proud of everything I accomplished there, but it also gave me the sense that I’d finally reached the end of what there was for me to work on there.

And so, a few months ago, I decided it was time for me to go exploring for new challenges. I finished up and have since been enjoying some time off, barely touching my computer. I’ve done a bit of gardening, ticked a lot of things off my to-do list around the house, and I’ve been truly able to relax for a good while.

What’s Next?

Now, though, I’m refreshed and ready to set off on my next adventure. This is where you come in, dear reader! Perhaps you’re looking for a tech lead to help scale your startup. Maybe you’re looking for someone with extensive experience not just with WordPress, but with the entire WordPress ecosystem and community. You could be a larger company looking for a principal engineer to inspire cross-divisional collaboration, or tackle the technical debt that inevitably builds up over the years.

Those aren’t the only options, of course, but maybe they give you an idea of where I can help. If you have a role you think I’d be the perfect fit for, let’s chat about it! You can reach out to me on LinkedIn, or email me directly at gary@pento.net.

Finally, if you happen to work at a company that you think I should join, let me know in the comments, or drop me a message. I’m always interested in learning more about what it’s like to work for your company!