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 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 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
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
Automattic's board voted to place founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, a move he says was orchestrated behind his back by CFO Mark Davies alongside board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker. Davies has been named interim CEO, though Mullenweg reportedly remains on the board. WordPress.org's executive director Mary Hubbard says the open-source project itself is unaffected and Mullenweg still leads it.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-09
Automattic's board has voted to put founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, installing CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO. Mullenweg says he opposed the move and accused Davies of conspiring with board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker to sideline him, though he will stay on the board.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-09
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