Automattic’s board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence
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. Earlier Wednesday, Mullenweg posted in a Slack channel visible to all employees that the company’s Chief Financial […]
Automattic's board has forced CEO Matt Mullenweg into a leave of absence against his wishes, according to a Slack message shared by TechCrunch. Mullenweg revealed that CFO Mark Davies allegedly conspired with other board members to vote for the move. Despite the controversy, Mullenweg stated he would continue leading the WordPress project as he remains on the board of directors.
Automattic confirmed the news, stating that Davies would take over as interim CEO. The company's board decision triggered layoffs and tension among employees, with some expressing relief while others remain uncertain about the future.
Written by urgent.news from TechCrunch's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 5 other outlets
- Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg 'forced' into leave of absence by WordPress parent company board techradar.com
- Automattic's Board Forces CEO Matt Mullenweg Into Leave of Absence slashdot.org
- Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg placed on leave theverge.com
- Slack message: Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg says CFO Mark Davies "conspired" with board members to put him on paid leave and Davies was voted to be interim CEO (Samantha Cole/404 Media) 404media.co
- Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence techcrunch.com
