Automattic has a new board after failed attempt to put CEO on leave

Automattic has a new board of directors. CEO Matt Mullenweg rebuilt the company's board weeks after its previous directors tried, and failed, to put him on leave, TechCrunch reported on September 25. The changes were announced to staff on Friday in Slack, and Mullenweg confirmed them.

Automattic owns WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce and other products; the shake-up is the latest twist in an internal governance fight.

A writer and two IRL co-founders join the board

Sources told TechCrunch the board includes American writer Hugh Howey, author of the best-selling "Silo" book series, and "Breakup Bootcamp" author Amy Chan. Two directors come from IRL, the social app that shut down after investigations found nearly all of its user base was made up of bots: IRL co-founder Henry Khachatryan, whom Mullenweg described as "a founder and builder," and Krutal Desai, who co-founded the app with him.

The ouster that lasted 33 hours

Earlier in September, the previous board voted to place Mullenweg on paid leave in an attempt to remove him from the board. He retook control of the company and let go of those involved in what he described on X as a "coup attempt." Automattic told TechCrunch the period between his departure and return lasted exactly "33 hours and 20 minutes."

To replace the board, Mullenweg leaned on his voting shares: he controls 84% of the vote, he said at TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. In an internal message, he said the directors acted without advance warning and denied him a chance to consult independent legal counsel.

Who left

Toni Schneider, a founding CEO of Automattic and now CEO of Bluesky, resigned from the board; Mullenweg himself removed General Ann Dunwoody, and board member Sue Decker also resigned. Mullenweg then let go of CFO Mark Davies, who was slated to become interim CEO, and chief legal officer Andy Missan, TechCrunch confirmed with sources. The board never publicly shared its reasons for trying to oust Mullenweg.

Why it matters

In the announcement to staff, Mullenweg wrote that "for purposes of Delaware law, I am the CEO, President, Treasurer, and Secretary," adding that the attempt had brought in "many amazing supporters." After his return he also replaced Automattic's legal counsel, retaining Susman Godfrey LLP as its new litigation counsel, a move that raises questions about whether the boardroom fight is tied to the company's ongoing lawsuit with hosting provider WP Engine.

Court filings show WP Engine's legal team had also accused Mullenweg in July of destroying evidence.