Automattic has a new board after failed attempt to put CEO on leave
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has reconstituted the company's board of directors following a failed attempt by previous directors to place him on leave. The new board includes notable figures such as science fiction author Hugh Howey and co-founders of the defunct social app IRL. This governance shift occurred after Mullenweg used his majority voting power to retake control of the company within 33 hours of the initial board vote.
- ▪Matt Mullenweg controls 84% of the voting shares at Automattic, which he leveraged to remove directors involved in the attempted ousting.
- ▪The new board members include Hugh Howey, Amy Chan, Henry Khatachryan, and Krutal Desai, the latter two being co-founders of the bot-infested app IRL.
- ▪Mullenweg also dismissed CFO Mark Davies and Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan, who were part of the leadership structure during the governance dispute.
- ▪The board's original reasons for attempting to remove Mullenweg were never publicly disclosed, though the timing coincides with ongoing legal disputes involving WP Engine.
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| Canonical URL | https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/25/automattic-has-a-new-board-after-failed-attempt-to-put-ceo-on-leave/ |
| Publication time | Fri, 25 Sep 2026 23:04:34 +0000 |
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Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has rebuilt the company’s board just weeks after its previous directors tried, and failed, to oust him. The board, which was announced to staff Friday, is an eclectic group that includes a best-selling science fiction author and two co-founders of the now-defunct social app IRL, TechCrunch has learned. The new board is the latest twist in a internal governance fight at Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce, and others. Earlier this month, the previous board voted to place Mullenweg on leave in an attempt to remove him from the board, only to have the CEO retake control just 33 hours later and remove or accept the resignations of the directors who were involved.
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