Automattic board briefly ousts CEO Matt Mullenweg before he regains control
Automattic’s six-member board voted to place CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, but within 33 hours he returned to leadership and the directors who voted against him were removed.
Automattic’s board of six directors voted on Sept. 9 to place founder-CEO Matt Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence, a decision Mullenweg disclosed in a Slack message that blamed Mark Davies, Ann Dunwoody, Toni and Sue Decker for a behind-the-scenes plot. Thirty-three hours later Mullenweg announced his return, sharing a link to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out,” and the three directors who had voted for his removal were gone, as were the company’s CFO and chief legal officer.
No board member has publicly justified the sudden move, and Mullenweg has declined to detail how he reversed the vote. Even investors such as BlackRock expressed confusion over how the founder could reinstate himself. The turmoil is linked to an ongoing civil lawsuit with WP Engine, which has raised questions about evidence preservation and antitrust claims, adding legal risk to the company’s operations.
