Automattic’s New Board Takes Shape After Matt Mullenweg Reverses Ouster
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg installs a new board after reversing a 33-hour ouster, using 84% voting control as legal and governance questions mount.
Summary
Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg told employees in Slack on Friday, September 25, 2026, that he had replaced the board weeks after directors unsuccessfully put him on paid leave. The parent of WordPress.com, Tumblr and WooCommerce now has directors Hugh Howey, author of Silo and Mullenweg’s 2018 Camino de Santiago hiking companion; Breakup Bootcamp author Amy Chan, who recently amplified the Spacefast AI site builder; and IRL cofounders Henry Khatachryan and Krutal Desai. Khatachryan collaborated with the late Om Malik and built journalist Nick Bilton’s website. IRL, also cofounded by CEO Abraham Shafi, closed after investigations found nearly all users were bots; its founders later sued SoftBank and other investors after SoftBank sued for securities fraud. New advisers are Curio Studio cofounder Jaime Waydo, June cofounder Matt Van Horn and KISSmetrics cofounder Hiten Shah.
Earlier in September, a special committee acted without advance warning or time for independent legal advice, Mullenweg said. He reversed the action after exactly 33 hours and 20 minutes using voting shares that controlled 84% at Disrupt 2024, then on September 11 called it a “coup attempt.” Founding Automattic CEO and current Bluesky CEO Toni Schneider and Sue Decker resigned; Mullenweg removed Gen. Ann Dunwoody and dismissed CFO and intended interim CEO Mark Davies and Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan. The board never disclosed its rationale. Mullenweg told staff Delaware law now makes him CEO, president, treasurer and secretary, and called the first meeting under the new structure the most interesting in a decade, since the Woo acquisition. He retained Susman Godfrey LLP for litigation including WP Engine’s trademark and WordPress contribution dispute; WP Engine accused him in July 2026 court filings of destroying evidence. Automattic said its mission and priorities were unchanged and expected to comment further.
Positives
- Exactly 33 hours and 20 minutes after his removal, Mullenweg restored executive control and ended the immediate leadership vacuum.
- Hugh Howey, Amy Chan, Henry Khatachryan and Krutal Desai provide Automattic with a newly constituted board.
- Jaime Waydo, Matt Van Horn and Hiten Shah joined as advisers, adding startup and technology experience.
- Susman Godfrey LLP became Automattic’s litigation counsel for its ongoing legal disputes.
- Automattic told employees its mission and priorities remained unchanged despite the governance upheaval.
Risks & concerns
- Automattic’s previous board tried to remove Mullenweg without publicly disclosing its reasons.
- Mullenweg’s 84% voting control allowed him to reverse the board’s decision and replace participating directors and executives.
- IRL, cofounded by new directors Khatachryan and Desai, closed after investigations found nearly all its users were bots.
- Toni Schneider and Sue Decker resigned, Ann Dunwoody was removed, and Mark Davies and Andy Missan lost their executive roles.
- WP Engine accused Mullenweg in July 2026 court filings of destroying evidence amid ongoing trademark and WordPress contribution litigation.