tech
May 10, 2026
Cloudflare CEO says Cloudflare is not a great name, but that it's better than his original idea
Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince said Saturday that his company's name is confusing and often mispronounced and mispelled.
TL;DR
- Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince dislikes the company name, citing its length and pronunciation challenges.
- Prince considers 'Cloudflare' better than his original idea, 'Project Web Wall'.
- Cloudflare is essential for internet operations, including speed, traffic routing, and cyber defense.
- The company's name is frequently misspelled and mispronounced.
- Cloudflare recently laid off over 1,100 employees (approximately 20% of its staff).
- The layoffs were attributed to a need to increase speed and value delivery, with a significant surge in AI use.