@that girl again -

I know I'm restating this, but Automattic is completely independent of the WordPress Foundation. They are an entirely separate entities. One is a for-profit entity and the other is non-profit.

WordPress.com is owned by Automattic. WordPress.org is owned by the WordPress Foundation. The only common thread is a shared founder. Automattic does not OWN (they use) the software, wp.org domain nor the trademark WordPress. The only thing they share is a founder; Matt.

Just think of Matt as a serial entrepreneur. If he started two companies and one company were purchased would the acquiring company own both assets? No, not unless explicitly specified in the terms of sale. Matt would never sell his position in the WordPress Foundation. He might sell his stake in Automattic. I have never seen an founder so dedicated to a community as Matt. His leadership has been incredible and one of the keys to his leadership style has been his devotion to making these two entities completely independent. The last straw in his vision to cede control of the WordPress community was when he transferred possession of the WordPress trademark. Automattic used to own the WordPress trademark, but as of late 2010 the company transferred ownership to the WordPress Foundation.

As far as an acquiring company for Automattic. I hope they eventually find a home where they can have resources to scale their massive infrastructure, but remain autonomous from their parent company. Amazon seems like the best prospect for an agile company where Matt has expressed admiration for their founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos.