WordPress Owner Automattic’s Board Reportedly Purged After Failed ‘Coup’ Against CEO
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg successfully reversed a board vote that had placed him on leave, resulting in the removal or resignation of several key executives and board members. Following this internal power struggle, Mullenweg appointed new legal counsel and added several new board members and advisers to the company. The incident occurs amidst an ongoing legal dispute between Automattic and WP Engine, though it remains unclear if the two matters are directly connected.
- ▪Automattic's board voted to place CEO Matt Mullenweg on leave on September 9, but he regained control within 33 hours.
- ▪Mullenweg removed rival administrators from company systems and saw the departure of founding CEO Toni Schneider along with the CFO and Chief Legal Officer.
- ▪New board members appointed by Mullenweg include authors Hugh Howey and Amy Chan, as well as IRL co-founders Henry Khachatryan and Krutal Desai.
- ▪Automattic is currently engaged in a bitter legal battle with WP Engine over trademarks, with WP Engine recently filing a motion for sanctions alleging evidence destruction.
- ▪Mullenweg stated that the next six months will determine the next 20 years of Automattic's direction following the board upheaval.
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What Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has described as a “coup” at the WordPress.com, Tumblr, and WooCommerce parent company has ended with Mullenweg cleansing the ranks of the board that tried to oust him, TechCrunch reported. On Sept. 9, TechCrunch reported Automattic’s board voted to place Mullenweg on leave. Around 33 hours later, he had turned the tables, booted rival admins from the company Slack instance, and the board’s state was “in flux” (one confirmed departure was Automattic founding CEO and Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider). TechCrunch’s most recent report, from Friday, indicates that a subsequent house-clearing included the removal or resignation of two other board members and Automattic’s chief financial and legal officers (Mark Davies and Andy Missan, respectively).
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