Matt Mullenweg

Money Moves

As of October 2026: Back as CEO and chairman after reversing the board's September 9 ouster; replaced most of the board

Automattic's board voted September 9 to put founder Matt Mullenweg on paid leave and name CFO Mark Davies interim CEO. Mullenweg was back in charge 33 hours and 20 minutes later, and he replaced the directors who tried to remove him.

Updated Oct 6

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Defending WordPress.org control amid legal battle with WP Engine

Silver Lake invested $250 million in WP Engine in 2018, taking majority control of the managed WordPress hosting company. Six years later, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg called WP Engine a cancer to WordPress and banned them from WordPress.org resources. This triggered a legal battle that has split the community powering 43% of the web.

Updated May 19