My name is Michael Koenig and I’m the Schmooze Engineer at Automattic (the makers of WordPress.com), specializing in business development, sales and customer management. I joined Automattic as part of the acquisition of IntenseDebate Corp., a comment system for blogs and websites that I helped grow.

At Automattic I serve in a variety of roles including the Director of Business Development and Marketing for IntenseDebate, where I am responsible for all aspects of customer acquisition, lead generation, sales presentation, deal structuring, terms of use negotiation, and post-sale customer relations. I have also handled project management, data analysis, strategic project development, public relations, technical writing, customer service, and employee training throughout several of Automattic’s other products.

You can connect with me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

I also have an awesome “Official Bio” posted on the Automattic About page:

Michael has seen “Big Trouble In Little China” more times than anyone ever should. While he wanted to be a kung fu master, he went a less violent route, and picked up a bass guitar and set of skis. Originally from Michigan, Michael now lives in Chicago, Illinois by way of Boulder, Colorado where he earned his BA in Philosophy from the University of Colorado. He joined the Automattic team in October of 2008 as part of the acquisition of IntenseDebate Corp., – a comment system for blogs and websites that he helped grow. He as since perfected the art of schmoozing kung fu.