Automattic has placed chief executive officer Matt Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence, TechCrunch reported. Mark Davies, the company's chief financial officer, will step in as interim chief executive to lead the company while Mullenweg is away.
Mullenweg claimed in an internal message that Davies conspired with board members to put him on leave. "They voted to put me on a paid leave of absence. I voted against that," Mullenweg wrote. In the message reported by 404 Media, he named Davies alongside Automattic board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker.
Schneider addressed the leadership change on Automattic's internal message board, writing that the board decided to ask Mullenweg to step away. "We have asked Mark Davies to assume the interim CEO role while Matt is out," Schneider said, adding that directors are confident Davies will steer the ship well. Automattic spokesperson Megan Fox confirmed the move in an emailed statement, stating that the board has full confidence in Davies's leadership and the team's ability to execute against company priorities.
Mullenweg will remain on Automattic's board of directors. He co-founded WordPress.org and has headed Automattic, the owner of WordPress.com, since 2014. In 2024, Mullenweg waged a public pressure campaign against a prominent WordPress host. That dispute divided the open-source community and ignited a legal battle that is still going on today.
