Matt Mullenweg, CEO of WordPress.com owner Automattic, was placed on paid leave September 9, 2026. Mullenweg claimed CFO Mark Davies “conspired” with board members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker to place him on leave. He voted against the resolution.
Automattic confirmed Mullenweg was on leave and named Davies interim CEO. Schneider said the board asked Mullenweg to step away from his CEO role. Mullenweg remained on the board. WordPress.org executive director Mary Hubbard said WordPress.org was not impacted and Mullenweg remained leader of the WordPress project.
By September 12, Automattic confirmed Mullenweg returned as chairman and CEO with full board support after he resisted the transition and removed other Slack admins.