Internal Leadership Strife at Automattic
Matt Mullenweg, the founder and CEO of Automattic, widely recognized as the parent company behind WordPress.com, was recently placed on a paid leave of absence by the company’s board of directors. This development, initially reported by 404 Media and corroborated by TechCrunch through internal Slack messages, indicated that Mullenweg’s removal was against his will.
Allegations of Conspiracy and Temporary Ouster
According to Mullenweg’s own statements in an internal message, Automattic’s chief financial officer, Mark Davies, allegedly “conspired” with board members to orchestrate his leave. This move temporarily removed Mullenweg from his executive duties at the helm of the prominent tech company.
Swift Reversal and Reinstatement
Just days after the initial reports of his forced leave, Mullenweg informed Automattic employees via a Slack message, seen by TechCrunch, that he had reasserted full control over the company. While Automattic has not yet issued an official statement confirming the reversal, Mullenweg’s communication signals a swift resolution to the internal power struggle, placing him back in charge of the WordPress.com owner.
This swift reversal at Automattic highlights the complexities of founder-board dynamics, particularly in mature private companies with significant market influence like WordPress.com. The alleged CFO involvement in orchestrating Mullenweg’s initial leave suggests deeper governance issues that could impact investor confidence and future strategic direction, especially concerning open-source project stewardship. Reasserting control so quickly indicates a powerful founder clause or strong internal support, but the underlying tensions likely remain.