Automattic board ousts CEO Matt Mullenweg, installs CFO as interim chief

What's the deal? Automattic's board has placed founder and chief executive officer Matt MullenwegDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → on a paid leave of absence against his will, according to a Slack message seen by TechCrunch. Chief financial officer Mark DaviesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → will lead the company as interim CEO.

What happened? Mullenweg posted in a company-wide Slack channel that Davies had "conspired" with board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker to vote him out. He said he received the resolution 50 minutes before the meeting and was denied time to have it reviewed by independent legal counsel.

Mullenweg remains on the board of directors, Davies told employees. In a statement, Automattic said: "The Board has full confidence in Mark's leadership and in the team's ability to execute against the company's priorities."

The context: Mullenweg founded Automattic in 2003, the year he co-created the open-source content management system WordPressDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The company owns WordPress.comDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Tumblr, WooCommerceDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Pocket CastsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.

The board did not make its reasoning clear. Schneider, who was Automattic's CEO from 2006 to 2014, confirmed to 404 MediaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → that the action came from the board. WordPress.org executive director Mary Hubbard said the open-source project was unaffected: "Matt remains the leader of the WordPress project."

Why now? The past few years have been turbulent. Automattic is locked in a legal battle with rival web host WP Engine, which sued in October 2024 for defamation and abuse of power after Mullenweg demanded it pay 8% of monthly gross revenue as a royalty for using the WordPress brand.

Internal tensions ran high. In 2024, Mullenweg told employees to quit with severance if they disagreed with him, and 159 did. He also threatened to deactivate accounts of WordPress.org community members who planned to fork the project. In April 2025, Automattic laid off 16% of its staff.

What could go wrong? Employee reactions are split. Some told TechCrunch they were "ecstatic" or "relieved," while others feared the move creates more instability at an already-strained company.

The signal: A founder-CEO who built and named an open-source movement, then wielded control aggressively, has been sidelined by his own board. It marks a rare rebuke of a figure long synonymous with WordPress itself.

Read more: The Verge, TechCrunch