GoKawiilAutomattic board sidelines CEO Matt Mullenweg, CFO Mark Davies named interim chief
Automattic's board voted to place founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave against his wishes, installing CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO. Mullenweg publicly objected in a company Slack channel, saying the board acted without giving him time to consult legal counsel. The exact reason for the ouster hasn't been disclosed, though it comes after years of legal disputes, layoffs and staff departures tied to his leadership.
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This is a rare public boardroom revolt against a founder-CEO at a company with outsized influence over the web through WordPress and Tumblr. Because Mullenweg also personally controls the separate WordPress.org open-source project, the split raises questions about how corporate governance tensions could spill into the broader WordPress ecosystem even as officials insist operations remain unaffected.
- Board members Davies, Dunwoody, Schneider and Decker voted to sideline Mullenweg despite his objection.
- Mullenweg says he was denied time to seek independent legal review before the vote.
- WordPress.org leadership insists the open-source project is unaffected by the corporate shakeup.
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Published there as: “Automattic's Board Forces CEO Matt Mullenweg Into Leave of Absence”
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