Automattic Board Dismissed After Unsuccessful Attempt to Remove CEO Matt Mullenweg

Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and a suite of publishing tools, entered a leadership crisis this week as its entire board was reportedly removed following a failed effort to place chief executive Matt Mullenweg on administrative leave.

Sources close to the matter told TechCrunch that board members convened a special meeting earlier in the week and voted to suspend Mullenweg pending an internal investigation. The decision sparked immediate backlash from senior managers and a coalition of investors who argued that the move lacked substantive justification and threatened the stability of the business.

Within days, the company’s top leadership acted to overturn the board’s decision, effectively nullifying the suspension and dismissing the existing directors. The rapid reversal suggests that key shareholders, including venture firms that have backed Automattic since its early days, rallied behind Mullenweg, citing his role in steering the firm through multiple product launches and the recent public listing on the NYSE.

The episode highlights a broader tension in the tech sector between activist board interventions and founder-led governance models. Automattic, valued at over $10 billion, has historically operated with a decentralized structure that gives product teams considerable autonomy. Critics of the board’s move argue that any attempt to sideline a founder with deep technical expertise and a public brand identity could destabilize the company’s culture and its vast ecosystem of developers and publishers.

Looking ahead, Automattic is expected to appoint a new board that reflects the preferences of its dominant shareholders while preserving the entrepreneurial ethos that has driven its growth. Analysts note that the incident may prompt a review of the company’s governance charter and could lead to stricter voting thresholds for future leadership actions. For now, Mullenweg remains at the helm, and the company has signaled that its product roadmap will continue unabated, reassuring customers and partners that the internal dispute will not impact day‑to‑day operations.