Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, sees Tumblr as a gateway to the company’s other products and services.

Tumblr has been in the news recently for a major redesign of its desktop site that looks reminiscent of X (Twitter) or Meta’s Threads. According to TechCrunch, Mullenweg emphasized Tumblr’s role as an “on-ramp” for Automattic’s other products. For example, a person may begin their online presence with a Tumblr blog before graduating to a full-fledged WordPress or e-commerce site.

“I’m excited about that on-ramp as well as to bring a younger demographic and young people into WordPress,” Mullenweg noted.

Mullenweg also sees Tumblr as a relatively future-proofed platform.

“You often hear people say they want to do less social media, but you almost never hear people say they want to blog less…What is it about blogging, that they feel like adds to their life or is a valuable task, or valuable use of time, that maybe they’re not getting from more traditional social media?,” he asked. “Like I said, we’re making Tumblr for art and artists. I haven’t heard anyone say I’d love less art in my life.”