WP Engine, the WordPress (WP) Digital Experience Platform (DXP), this week announced an agreement to acquire Flywheel, a WP hosting and management company, in what will be the largest acquisition in WP to date.
It’s another blockbuster WP acquisition that comes on the heels of last month’s announcement that Pantheon acquired StagingPilot. This latest acquisition really revs my engine (pun 100% intended) because it marks the joining of forces between two outstanding brands and promises to deliver incredible service to companies that build sites on WP.
Flywheel has an interesting story of its own. Founded in 2012, the company boasts to serve more than 28,000 customers globally. It’s founders—Dusty Davidson, Tony Noecker and Rick Knudtson—all have agency web development backgrounds. It’s a unique hybrid of creativity and development chops that really makes this company stand out. I’m not the only one to notice; Inc. Magazine recognizing Flywheel as one of the fastest-growing companies in the United States.
WP Engine is a force of its own, with over 120,000 customers across 150 countries and an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of $132 million at a growth rate of more than 30 percent (as of January 2019). The platform enables brands and organizations to create world-class digital experiences on today’s leading content management system (CMS). WordPress currently powers more than one-third (34%) of the web and continues to be the fastest-growing CMS in the world.
This acquisition highlights a new age of advancement in the WP realm to me. While WP Engine dominates in agility, performance, intelligence, and integrations, Flywheel sweetens the pot with creative and business workflows that only serve to enhance the WordPress Digital Experience Platform. Both companies are also known for having purpose-grounded, customer-centric cultures—and this union should only serve to strengthen that.
Thoughts on this latest acquisition announcement? Reach out at email@robertjacobi.com or @robertjacobi.