What Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has described as a \u201ccoup\u201d at the WordPress.com, Tumblr, and WooCommerce parent company has ended with Mullenweg cleansing the ranks of the board that tried to oust him, TechCrunch reported<\/p>\n
On Sept. 9, TechCrunch reported<\/a> Automattic\u2019s board voted to place Mullenweg on leave. Around 33 hours later<\/a>, he had turned the tables, booted rival admins from the company Slack instance, and the board\u2019s state was \u201cin flux\u201d (one confirmed departure was Automattic founding CEO and Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider). TechCrunch\u2019s most recent report, from Friday, indicates that a subsequent house-clearing included the removal or resignation of two other board members and Automattic\u2019s chief financial and legal officers (Mark Davies and Andy Missan, respectively). Mullenweg also brought on new legal counsel and a slew of new board members and advisers.<\/p>\n franchise author Hugh Howey,\u00a0Breakup Bootcamp author Amy Chan, and IRL co-founders Henry Khachatryan and Krutal Desai. The advisers include executives and co-founders from Whoop, June, and KISSmetrics<\/p>\n Mullenweg was one of WordPress\u2019s co-creators and now runs Automattic, which competes with hosting provider WP Engine over the WordPress market. The two firms are currently locked in a long-running and bitter legal battle<\/a> over trademarks and Mullenweg\u2019s 2024 campaign labeling WP Engine a \u201ccancer\u201d<\/a> that harms the WordPress community. WP Engine stated Mullenweg threatened \u201cwar\u201d on \u201cscorched earth nuclear\u201d terms, demanding the company sign a trademark licensing agreement with Automattic.<\/p>\n As TechCrunch noted, in July 2026, WP Engine filed a motion for sanctions<\/a> to the court handling the lawsuit, alleging Mullenweg destroyed evidence. (The document included a lengthy redacted portion ending with, \u201c\u2026 during which Mr. Mullenweg\u2019s disappearing or deleted messages were lost forever.\u201d The motion claimed that Automattic had continued to insist all discovery materials had been found and provided.)<\/p>\n It\u2019s not clear whether there is any connection between the lawsuit and the board upset. Mullenweg has suggested this is far from the first time he\u2019s faced off against a corporate rebellion<\/p>\n \u201cFor purposes of Delaware law, I am the CEO, President, Treasurer, and Secretary,\u201d Mullenweg told staff in an email He added he had attended the \u201cmost interesting board meeting in a decade,\u201d comparing it to the 2015 WooCommerce acquisition<\/p>\n \u201cWe are living through times of unprecedented change, possibly a singularity,\u201d Mullenweg told TechCrunch in a statement. \u201cThe next six months will determine the next 20 years of Automattic.\u201d<\/p>\n Automattic didn\u2019t immediately respond to a request for comment by Gizmodo, but we\u2019ll update<\/a> this article if we hear back<\/p>\n \n En rapport:<\/strong> \n <a href="https:\/\/yoursite.com\/automation-africa\/" title="WhatsApp<\/a> Marketing Automation Africa : 6 erreurs dangereuses commises par les marques au Nig\u00e9ria\u201d> Rejoindre Justfine Infotech<\/strong> and build real digital skills<\/a> in AI, automation, web development, digital marketing, office productivity, e-commerce, freelancing and cybersecurity.<\/p>\n Programmes disponibles :<\/strong> WhatsApp :<\/strong>
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