Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence
Automattic's board voted to place CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave against his will, naming CFO Mark Davies interim CEO of WordPress's parent company.
Automattic's board voted to put founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave against his will, with CFO Mark Davies appointed interim CEO; Mullenweg remains on the board. The move follows years of turmoil, including a protracted legal battle with WP Engine, a 2024 ultimatum in which 159 employees took severance, and a 16% staff layoff in April 2025. WordPress.org's executive director said the open-source WordPress project and its teams continue as planned and are not impacted. Automattic also owns Tumblr, WooCommerce, and Pocket Casts.
- Board voted Mullenweg onto paid leave; he voted against it
- Mark Davies named interim CEO; Mullenweg stays on the board
- WordPress.org project operations unaffected per executive director
- Context includes WP Engine lawsuit and 2024 staff exodus
- Vendors
- AutomatticWordPressWP Engine
From the original article
3 min read at techcrunch.com
Matt Mullenweg, the founder and CEO of Automattic, best known as the parent company of WordPress. com, has been put on a leave of absence by his board against his will, according to a Slack message seen by TechCrunch.
By LeoPanthera · techcrunch.com
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