Automattic’s board has resigned following an unsuccessful attempt to place CEO Matt Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence, as confirmed by multiple sources to TechCrunch. Mullenweg, the founder of WordPress and CEO of Automattic, accused the board of conspiring against him in a Slack message after the vote. On Friday, Mullenweg informed staff via Slack that he was back in control of the company, a fact confirmed by Automattic on Saturday.
Toni Schneider, a founding CEO at Automattic and current leader of the open social network Bluesky, has reportedly resigned from his board position. His personal website previously included a paragraph detailing his contributions to Automattic, which has since been removed. Mullenweg has also removed two other board members, Sue Decker and Gen. Ann Dunwoody.
Decker’s LinkedIn profile has been updated to reflect her service on Automattic’s board from March 2020 through September 2026, although her name still appears on the company’s Board of Directors page. When approached for comment, Automattic declined to provide specifics but acknowledged the departures.
An Automattic spokesperson stated, “Matt and Automattic’s leadership team have great respect for everyone involved. While we can’t comment on specific individuals, we’re thankful for their contributions to Automattic and its mission, and we remain excited about what’s ahead with Matt at the helm.” The spokesperson also noted that Mullenweg was away for only 33 hours and 20 minutes before returning to work.
The board’s vote to place Mullenweg on leave remains unexplained. Mullenweg and Automattic are currently involved in a lawsuit with WP Engine, a WordPress hosting company, over trademark infringement and contributions to the open-source project. WP Engine has accused Mullenweg of destroying evidence related to the case in messaging apps and previously claimed that Automattic intended to impose royalty fees on competitors.
TechCrunch reports that Automattic may announce a new board internally on Monday. Additionally, Automattic’s Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan has updated his LinkedIn profile to indicate he is no longer with the company as of September 2026.