The board of directors at Automattic has put CEO Matt Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence, a decision he claims was made without his knowledge.
This morning, Mullenweg posted an announcement in a company-wide Slack message, where he wrote that he “won’t be able to make the ELT tomorrow.”. He also noted that Automattic’s CFO, Mark Davies, has worked alongside board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker “behind my back and they voted to put me on a paid leave of absence. I voted against that.”, who have “conspired”.
The board voted Davies in as interim CEO, and Mullenweg, founder of Automattic — the company behind WordPress, Tumblr, Pocket Casts, and other major internet brands — wrote that he received the resolution “50 minutes before the meeting start, and requested repeatedly for time to have it reviewed by independent legal counsel, even a few hours, which was denied.”.
What the board says
Davies wrote in the same Slack channel that Mullenweg would stay on as a board member and “he will have a voice in setting direction and making decisions.”.
“As you have seen from Matt’s previous messages, Automattic’s board has decided to ask Matt to step away from his CEO role and take a leave of absence,” Schneider wrote. “We have asked Mark Davies to assume the interim CEO role while Matt is out. We’ve worked closely with Mark over the years and we’re confident he will steer the ship well while Matt is away.”
Davies also addressed staff directly. “I want to thank Matt for his support and I intend to support him, the Board, Automattic, and our customers during this interim situation,” he wrote. “It will take me some time to come up to speed, but we’ll move forward with transparency, communication, and teamwork.”
He stated that nothing will be altered due to Mullenweg’s departure.
No response was given at once by Mullenweg, Schneider, or Davies when asked for comment.
Davies as interim CEO
Davies is giving an account of the meeting for Automattic’s Chief Financial Officer, will take over leadership while Mullenweg is out. The board voted him into the interim role, according to Mullenweg’.
Mullenweg wrote that he opposed the decision and voted against his own leave. He requested time for the resolution to be reviewed by independent legal counsel, a request he said was denied.
Mullenweg’s recent battles
A long period of public disagreement about how Mullenweg manages has led to this leave. He has fought a bitter legal struggle with WP Engine, trading public insults with rivals and associates alike on social media and his own personal blog.
He delivered an “Alignment Offer” to Automattic staff who opposed his positions in 2024. The conditions were severe:
- Six months of pay or $30,000, whichever was higher
- Loss of work logins that same evening
- No eligibility for rehire
One hundred and fifty-nine people took the offer and left. He then made another buyout offer and threatened employees who spoke to the press with termination, saying, “exit gracefully, or be fired tomorrow with no severance.”
Most recently, Automattic attempted to claim it owns the word “automatic.”
The official statement
An Automattic spokesperson confirmed the events to 404 Media in a statement: “Matt Mullenweg is currently on leave from Automattic. Mark Davies, Automattic’s CFO, will lead the company as interim CEO. The Board has full confidence in Mark’s leadership and in the team’s ability to execute against the company’s priorities.”
Key facts
- Mullenweg received the board resolution 50 minutes before the meeting
- The “Alignment Offer” was made in 2024
- The offer gave employees six months of pay or $30,000, whichever was higher
- Mullenweg voted against his own leave
Mullenweg remains on the board.
The piece was revised at 6:30 p.m. PT to include a statement from Automattic.
Source: 404media.co
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