Mike Little

Mike Little
Mike Little at Young Rewired State 2012
Born (1962-05-12) 12 May 1962 (age 64)
EducationStockport School
OccupationWeb developer
Known forWordPress
Children1
Websitemikelittle.org

Mike Little (born 12 May 1962) is an English web developer and writer. He is the co-founder of the free and open source web publishing software WordPress.

Biography

Mike Little was born in Manchester, England in 1962 to a Nigerian father, who was a mathematics lecturer and musician, and an English mother who worked as a primary school teacher. Little was placed into foster care when he was four months of age, and was later adopted by the same family. He grew up on a council estate in Brinnington, Stockport, and was educated at Stockport School.

In 2003, Little and Matt Mullenweg started working on a project in which they built on b2/cafelog and later named it WordPress, releasing the first version on 27 May 2003.

Little states that, despite not being invited to join his co-founder's for-profit business Automattic, he and Mullenweg remain on good terms. He clarified: "I don’t want it to sound like he cheated me out of something or ripped me off in some way. He didn’t."

In June 2013, Little was awarded the SAScon's "Outstanding Contribution to Digital" award for his part in co-founding and developing WordPress.

Little has been described as "modest" and living in "virtual anonymity". He has one daughter. He identifies as a follower of Stoicism and a humanist, and in 2021, he became a patron of charity Humanists UK.

Bibliography

References

  1. 1 2 "Learn about WordPress origins and version history". WordPress. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 Simpson, Mollie (5 August 2021). "The Stockport man who powered half the internet". The Mill. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Interview with Mike Little". WordPress. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  4. 1 2 "How a Stockport developer helped create the world's biggest online publishing phenomenon – for free". Prolific North. 4 February 2013.
  5. ↑ "Unsung Internet Visionary to be Honoured at SASCON". SAScon. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 16 August 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Internet Visionary Honoured". Cheshire Border Independent Newspaper. 26 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014.
  7. ↑ Little, Mike. "About Mike Little". Retrieved 29 September 2024. I am a follower of Stoicism, embracing the philosophy of inner peace, resilience, and virtue by focusing on what I can control and accepting what I cannot. As a humanist, I value reason, empathy, and the potential for human progress, I believe in compassion for everyone and strive to improve the well-being of all people through ethical and rational means.
  8. ↑ "Humanists UK delighted to announce two new patrons: Felicity Hannah and Mike Little". Humanists UK. 11 June 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2024.