Between Two COO's with Michael Koenig Automattic Chief Quality Officer, Lance Willett, on What It Takes to Power 45% of the Web and Learning from a $250K Mistake
Jul 23, 2025
Lance Willett, Chief Quality Officer at Automattic, brings insights from overseeing quality for WordPress and WooCommerce. He discusses Automattic's evolution in open source culture and the challenges of maintaining quality at scale. The conversation dives into the significance of AI innovations like support bots and contextual UI while balancing speed and governance. Willett shares lessons learned from a critical launch failure and emphasizes the importance of tools like Linear for effective quality management and the need for open communication in risk management.
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Quality = Craft × Context
- Quality at Automattic is the product of craft and context working together.
- This feedback loop connects the making of software to the user's real needs, improving overall quality.
Embed QA into Early Workflow
- Use rituals and modern tools like Storybook and Linear for early testing and bug triage.
- Encourage teams to do QA themselves early and adopt opinionated workflows to accelerate quality and shipping.
Standardize Tools for Culture Change
- Standardize tools across the company to improve execution and reduce vendor costs.
- Promote learning and mastery of core tools to speed cultural shifts and increase productivity.