Corporate Boomerang: WordPress Founder Matt Mullenweg Survives Board Coup at Automattic
Automattic witnessed a swift corporate reversal when its board attempted to remove founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg. On September 9 the board placed Mullenweg on forced paid leave, appointing CFO Mark Davis as interim CEO.
The move was backed by three of the four directors, while Mullenweg voted against it. He received the resolution only 50 minutes before the meeting and had no time to consult lawyers. Mullenweg refused to accept the decision, removed other administrators from the corporate Slack, and informed staff that he remained in charge, declaring: “Now I’m a pirate.”
By Friday the board had reached a new consensus. WordPress leadership publicly endorsed Mullenweg’s return, and The Verge confirmed the two-day standoff had ended. Under corporate law the board can remove a CEO, yet shareholders control board composition. Mullenweg held sufficient votes to replace the directors who had opposed him.
As a result the previous board members are now exiting the company. It remains unclear why the directors launched the action without securing shareholder backing, possibly overestimating their position or expecting additional allies.
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