COMPANY PLAYBOOK
Automattic
Automattic supports global asynchronous work with written context, outcome focus, real-work hiring and direct customer contact.
System principles
- Make async the default and create clarity in writing.
- Care about output, not hours.
- Do not separate product builders from customer experience.
Tensions and trade-offs
- Global flexibility improves inclusion, but social connection and shared rhythm must be designed.
- Autonomy increases speed but risks scattered priorities and fragmented context.
PRACTICES
How Automattic builds its operating system
01
Documentation
Written work through P2
Project context and decisions are made durable in internal blogs.
- How it works
- Projects and decisions live as durable, commentable posts on P2-based internal blogs.
- Why it is used
- Creates searchable context and equal participation instead of email chains.
- Trade-off
- Information can fragment across P2s and reading load can grow.
- Best fit
- Distributed teams with strong written communication.
02
Customer insight
Support rotation
Every new hire spends their first two weeks on WordPress.com customer support and then a week in support every year, regardless of role.
- How it works
- Two weeks of customer support at the start, then a week of support every year regardless of role.
- Why it is used
- Feeds product decisions with real user pain and language.
- Trade-off
- Takes time from specialist work and requires training for support quality.
- Best fit
- SaaS products where customer signal directly affects product quality.
03
Hiring
Trial project
A real-work project is run with candidates before a full-time offer. The How We Hire page describes, for some roles, a trial of up to 20 hours on real work (or a shorter code test); the How We Work page says a contract project typically lasts two to six weeks.
- How it works
- Before a full-time offer, candidates complete a trial on real work (How We Hire: for some roles a trial of up to 20 hours, or a shorter code test; How We Work: typically a two-to-six-week contract project depending on the time the candidate can give).
- Why it is used
- Produces signals about real collaboration, writing and self-management.
- Trade-off
- The process is long and may exclude candidates with existing jobs.
- Best fit
- Roles where remote work can be tested through a work sample.
04
Remote
Small in-person meetups
Daily distributed work is complemented by periodic team meetups; since the pandemic the focus is on smaller group and division meetups, teams meet for five to seven days, and employees are expected to travel three to four weeks a year.
- How it works
- Daily distributed work is complemented by periodic team meetups and social communication rituals.
- Why it is used
- Strengthens trust and tacit relational bonds.
- Trade-off
- Creates travel cost, accessibility and participation-equity challenges.
- Best fit
- Long-running remote teams that need relational capital.
Primary sources
Source details
Company publication: YesAccessed: 2026-10-05Visible update: 2026-04-10 (page modified metadata)Licence: Not stated by publisherArchive: Public URL; archive feasibility not separately assessed
Source details
Company publication: YesAccessed: 2026-10-05Visible update: 2026-04-28 (page modified metadata)Licence: Not stated by publisherArchive: Public URL; archive feasibility not separately assessed
Source details
Company publication: YesAccessed: 2026-10-05Visible update: 2026-07-29 (page modified metadata)Licence: Not stated by publisherArchive: Public URL; archive feasibility not separately assessed