Matthieu Aubry

Matthieu Aubry is the founder and lead developer of Matomo, an open-source web analytics platform originally launched as Piwik in 2007. His motivation for creating Matomo stemmed from concerns about data privacy and the desire to provide users with full control over their analytics data, in stark contrast to proprietary solutions like Google Analytics.123

Background and Vision

Aubry, an engineering student at the time, recognized the growing need for a privacy-respecting analytics tool as businesses increasingly turned to data-driven decision-making. He rallied a group of friends to develop Piwik, which later rebranded to Matomo in 2018, meaning "honesty" in Japanese. This name change reflected the project's commitment to transparency and user empowerment.24

Achievements

Under Aubry's leadership, Matomo has grown significantly, now serving over 1.4 million websites globally. The platform emphasizes user privacy, allowing individuals and businesses to self-host their analytics data or use cloud services while ensuring complete ownership of their information.34 Matomo has received accolades for its ethical approach, including the W3Tech Traffic Analysis Tool of the Year award in 2022.3

Philosophy and Future

Aubry advocates for maintaining strong ethical values in business practices. He believes that prioritizing privacy not only builds trust with users but also positions companies better in compliance with evolving regulations. Looking ahead, he envisions Matomo expanding its user base to 2 million websites while enhancing its features to simplify compliance with global privacy laws.34

In summary, Matthieu Aubry is a pivotal figure in the web analytics landscape, championing a movement towards ethical data practices through Matomo's innovative platform.