Automattic board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg on leave

Automattic’s board of directors just forced CEO Matt Mullenweg into a leave of absence against his will.

According to an internal Slack message obtained by TechCrunch, Mullenweg accused CFO Mark Davies and three board members of voting behind his back to place him on paid leave. Davies has taken over as interim CEO, though Mullenweg remains on the board. The open-source WordPress.org project separately confirmed that Mullenweg stays on as its leader.

Why it matters: The forced exit marks a dramatic climax to years of public fights at the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, and WooCommerce. Mullenweg recently dragged Automattic into a bitter legal fight with competitor WP Engine, lost 159 employees who took buyouts in 2024, and cut 16% of staff in April 2025.

Know this: Staff reactions inside Automattic are split. Some employees reportedly felt "ecstatic" or "relieved" by the sudden decision, while others worry the move creates more instability.

Board coups usually happen behind closed doors, but Mullenweg made sure his exit post was visible to the whole company.