Automattic has started cutting staff over the past week, hitting its communications team, social media team, WordPress.com, and its VIP enterprise business, with insiders telling TechCrunch more cuts are expected. The layoffs follow a chaotic period at the company that included a failed board attempt to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg in September, a complete board turnover, and departures of its CFO, interim CFO and Chief Legal Officer.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-21
Automattic is marking the death of Eric Binnion, a recipient of the company's highest internal honor, the Distinguished Janitor Award, by adding a temporary header to Nginx-served sites for 30 days and placing a mourning band on Automattic.com for the same period. Founder Matt Mullenweg wrote a personal tribute, recalling giving Binnion a tungsten cube, a symbolic totem, while he was undergoing chemotherapy, and said the award itself may be redesigned to include such a physical memento going forward.
ma.tt
· 2026-10-14
Automattic has confirmed that interim CFO Jeremy Klaperman has left the company, roughly three weeks after taking the role. Klaperman had previously served as CFO of Automattic's VIP Enterprise unit and stepped into the interim finance chief role following a governance crisis in which the entire board exited. No permanent CFO replacement has been named.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-09
Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has reportedly overhauled its board of directors after an attempt by prior board members to remove CEO Matt Mullenweg did not succeed. New board members, advisers and legal counsel have reportedly been brought in as part of the shakeup.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-27
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has assembled a new board, informing staff via Slack on Friday. The lineup includes author Hugh Howey, 'Breakup Bootcamp' writer Amy Chan, and IRL co-founders Henry Khatachryan and Krutal Desai, along with several new advisers. This follows an episode earlier this month in which the prior board briefly placed Mullenweg on leave before he regained control and removed or accepted resignations from those directors.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-25
Automattic has appointed Jeremy Klaperman, CFO of its WordPress VIP Enterprise unit, as interim Chief Financial Officer following the departure of former CFO Mark Davies. The move comes after a failed attempt to remove CEO Matt Mullenweg last week, which led to the exit of several board members and executives, including Davies and Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan. Mullenweg also said a new Chief Legal Officer candidate has verbally accepted the role, while the board still must formally evaluate CFO candidates.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-18
Following an Anthropic researcher's warning about AI risks, CEO Dario Amodei proposed a framework for AI labs to coordinate development speed through independent safety evaluators, particularly among companies in democratic nations. The idea has drawn some support but also criticism, notably from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who pushed back on the approach.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-18
During a 33-hour period when Matt Mullenweg was placed on leave by Automattic's board, interim CEO Mark Davies and Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan each approved the other's exit agreement. The deals grant both executives a year of salary, accelerated equity vesting, stock option exercise rights, and extended health coverage, totaling roughly $8.15 million combined. Mullenweg fired both men upon reclaiming his role, and Automattic is now weighing whether to honor or legally contest the payouts.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-16
Sources tell TechCrunch that Automattic's board has been dissolved following a failed attempt last week to place CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave. Founding CEO Toni Schneider reportedly resigned his board seat, while Mullenweg removed remaining members Sue Decker and Gen. Ann Dunwoody. Automattic has not confirmed specifics but acknowledged in a statement that people have left the company.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-14
Automattic confirmed that Matt Mullenweg has resumed his position as CEO and chairman with the board's backing, days after the board had voted to place him on leave and install CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO. Mullenweg had resisted the removal, taking control of the company's Slack, ejecting other admins, and publicly disputing the board's authority before the company's statement settled the matter in his favor.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-12
Less than two days after Automattic's board placed Matt Mullenweg on leave, he told staff on Slack that he was back in charge and that the board was again aligned with him. CFO Mark Davies, who had been named interim CEO, reportedly had his Slack account deactivated, while Mullenweg posted cryptic references including a LL Cool J video and a personal blog post about buying a tugboat that avoided addressing the leadership turmoil directly.
slashdot.org
· 2026-09-12
Matt Mullenweg told Automattic staff on Slack that he is back in control as CEO, just days after the board had voted to place him on leave and install CFO Mark Davies as interim chief. Davies' Slack account has reportedly been deactivated, but Automattic has not confirmed Mullenweg's claim, and Mullenweg says a formal blog post explaining the situation is coming.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-11
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