Automattic board places CEO Matt Mullenweg on leave

The board of directors at Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, has placed co-founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence. Chief Financial Officer Mark Davies has been appointed to lead the company as interim CEO.

Mullenweg alleged in an internal Slack announcement that CFO Mark Davies conspired with board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker to vote for his removal. He stated that he was denied time to have the resolution reviewed by independent legal counsel before the meeting.

The leadership change occurs amid ongoing friction between Mullenweg and WP Engine. Automattic is currently facing a lawsuit from WP Engine related to disputes initiated by Mullenweg. Additionally, reports have surfaced regarding missing hardware, including a laptop and phone, during e-discovery processes.

While Mullenweg’s status has changed at the commercial entity Automattic, Mary Hubbard, Executive Director of WordPress.org, stated that the open-source WordPress project remains unaffected and that work will continue as planned.