This column kicks off a new The Information feature called Out of Office. Every other Friday, we’ll bring you advice from the pros on how to improve your work life, wherever your office might be.

Matt Mullenweg has become the patron saint of working from home. He started letting employees of his company, Automattic, do their jobs remotely long before the coronavirus made it mandatory for so many people. 

Naturally, he has a perspective on what technologies to invest in to improve the quality of video calls, a key part of working from home. “I definitely think of a hierarchy,” says Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, which operates WordPress, Tumblr and other digital properties. “For me, it goes internet, audio, lighting, video.”