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Matt Mullenweg Placed on Leave as Automattic CEO Amid Board Dispute
Confirmed
In Short: Matt Mullenweg, CEO of Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, has been placed on a leave of absence by the board of directors.
Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, has been placed on a leave of absence by the board of directors, according to reports. Mullenweg was informed of the decision only 50 minutes before the meeting and was denied the opportunity to review the resolution with independent legal counsel.
According to internal Slack messages seen by TechCrunch, Mullenweg accused the CFO of conspiring behind his back with the board of directors. He stated, 'And the biggest news: I won’t be able to make the ELT tomorrow… I received the resolution 50 minutes before the meeting start, and requested repeatedly for time to have it reviewed by independent legal counsel, even a few hours, which was denied.
Automattic faces a lawsuit from WP Engine, which directly arises from Mullenweg's actions. The lawsuit accuses Automattic and Mullenweg of defamation and abuse of power. Mullenweg had previously demanded that WP Engine pay 8% of its monthly gross revenue as a royalty fee for using the WordPress brand, alleging that WP Engine was profiting from the open-source WordPress project without contributing back to the community.
Sources told 404 Media that the action was initiated by the board, and Automattic's Chief Financial Officer, Mark Davies, has taken over Mullenweg's role. In a Slack message, Davies informed employees that Mullenweg remains on the board of directors.
Disputes under Mullenweg's leadership escalated to the point where he told employees in 2024 to quit with severance if they disagreed with him. As a result, 159 employees chose to leave the company. The lawsuit and the board's decision to remove Mullenweg come at a time of strong negative sentiment against him due to the disruption he initiated in his dispute with WP Engine.
What's confirmed
- Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, has been placed on a leave of absence by the board of directors, according to reports. Mullenweg was informed of the decision only 50 minutes before the meeting and was denied the opportunity to review the resolution with independent legal counsel.
- According to internal Slack messages seen by TechCrunch, Mullenweg accused the CFO of conspiring behind his back with the board of directors. He stated, 'And the biggest news: I won’t be able to make the ELT tomorrow… I received the resolution 50 minutes before the meeting start, and requested repeatedly for time to have it reviewed by independent legal counsel, even a few hours, which was denied.
- Automattic faces a lawsuit from WP Engine, which directly arises from Mullenweg's actions. The lawsuit accuses Automattic and Mullenweg of defamation and abuse of power. Mullenweg had previously demanded that WP Engine pay 8% of its monthly gross revenue as a royalty fee for using the WordPress brand, alleging that WP Engine was profiting from the open-source WordPress project without contributing back to the community.
- Sources told 404 Media that the action was initiated by the board, and Automattic's Chief Financial Officer, Mark Davies, has taken over Mullenweg's role. In a Slack message, Davies informed employees that Mullenweg remains on the board of directors.
- Disputes under Mullenweg's leadership escalated to the point where he told employees in 2024 to quit with severance if they disagreed with him. As a result, 159 employees chose to leave the company. The lawsuit and the board's decision to remove Mullenweg come at a time of strong negative sentiment against him due to the disruption he initiated in his dispute with WP Engine.
What's still developing
- Matt Mullenweg delivering the summer WordPress update at WordCamp Torino in 2024.
- According to reports, Jonathan Robins (Automattic’s e-discovery vendor), claimed that Mullenweg’s laptop and a phone were unaccounted for.
- “Matt remains the leader of the WordPress project and I remain Executive Director of WordPress. Our teams, priorities, and work continue as planned,” she wrote.