Automattic’s board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

Automattic confirmed founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg has been placed on paid leave after a board vote he opposed, according to internal Slack messages. CFO Mark Davies was named interim CEO, while WordPress.org leadership said the open-source project is not affected and Mullenweg remains its leader.

The move signals a serious governance rift inside one of the most important companies in the WordPress ecosystem, though the reasons remain unclear. Separating Automattic’s corporate leadership from WordPress.org’s open-source operations may help reassure users, but uncertainty around Mullenweg’s role could still unsettle developers, customers, and partners.