Automattic rebuilds board after failed effort to remove Mullenweg
Automattic announces a replacement board
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has rebuilt the company’s board after an attempt by its former directors to place him on leave was reversed. The parent company of WordPress.com, Tumblr and WooCommerce informed employees of the changes through its Slack announcements channel.
Mullenweg said Automattic’s original board voted to put him on paid leave, but he regained control after exactly 33 hours and 20 minutes. He has said that he controls 84% of the company’s voting power, a position that allowed him to remove or accept the resignations of directors involved in what he described on X as a “coup attempt.”
The governance conflict followed the episode in which the board’s move to place Mullenweg on leave outlined the board’s move to place Mullenweg on leave, a decision that was later overturned through his voting control.
In a message to employees after returning, Mullenweg said the special committee acted without advance warning and without giving him a meaningful opportunity to understand or respond to its concerns. He said he took steps to reverse the action and was again fully in charge of the company.
New directors and advisers named
The new board includes American writer Hugh Howey, known for the Silo book series; Amy Chan, author of Breakup Bootcamp; Henry Khatachryan, a co-founder of the former social app IRL; and Krutal Desai, another IRL co-founder.
IRL shut down after investigations found that nearly all of its user base was made up of bots. Khatachryan and Desai, along with IRL CEO Abraham Shafi, subsequently sued SoftBank and other investors after SoftBank brought a securities-fraud lawsuit.
Automattic has also added advisers: Curio Studio co-founder Jaime Waydo, June co-founder Matt Van Horn and KISSmetrics co-founder Hiten Shah. Mullenweg told staff that the company had held its most interesting board meeting in a decade, referring to the period since the Woo acquisition.
Leadership and legal changes follow the dispute
The failed board action was followed by further senior departures. Toni Schneider, Automattic’s founding CEO and the current CEO of Bluesky, resigned from the board. Mullenweg removed Gen. Ann Dunwoody, while Sue Decker also resigned.
Automattic also parted ways with CFO Mark Davies, who had been due to become interim CEO, and Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan. Mullenweg replaced the company’s legal counsel and said Automattic retained Susman Godfrey LLP to defend its interests in ongoing litigation.
The changes come while Automattic is in a legal dispute with hosting provider WP Engine involving trademark claims and WP Engine’s contribution to the WordPress open-source project. WP Engine’s legal team accused Mullenweg of destroying evidence in July, as reflected in court filings.
For businesses that depend on Automattic products, the immediate practical implication is to monitor leadership, legal and governance developments while maintaining clear contingency plans for critical WordPress.com, WooCommerce and Tumblr operations.