Hey follow friends! Today, let’s talk about an exciting event in the tech world involving Automattic, the company behind WordPress, and their recent acquisition of a clever relationship management tool called Clay.

Since its launch in 2021, Clay has been a smart digital address book that helps you organize your network by pulling data from platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, WhatsApp, and more. It keeps tabs on job changes, relocations, social updates, and even allows you to jot down notes about how you met someone.

Automattic, known for acquiring messaging apps like Beeper and Texts.com, bought Clay to bolster its communication ecosystem. The deal wasn’t publicly priced but was supported by over $9 million in venture funds from top investors. The plan is to keep Clay running and eventually link it with Automattic products, possibly including the popular Beeper app.

Clay’s software works across macOS, Windows, iOS, and web, managing over 150 million relationships. Users enjoy features like tagging job updates, marking important interactions, and asking AI helpers for insights about their contacts. The AI tool, Nexus, can answer questions like who at a company you know or suggest whom to connect with during trips.

The Clay team, including founders Zachary Hamed and Matthew Achariam, are excited to join Automattic because of shared values around open source and creating enduring tools that enhance how we manage relationships. They see their mission aligning with Automattic’s long-term vision to develop a broad identity layer for various online tools.

Looking to the future, Automattic intends to integrate Clay deeper into its ecosystem, including its chat app Beeper, and explore technologies like ActivityPub for open social networking. For now, Clay remains a freemium service, with paid plans starting at $10 per month and team options at $40 per seat.

In essence, this acquisition aims to support users in cultivating stronger, more organized relationships through smarter, more integrated technology.