Matt Mullenweg

Stories

Automattic board places founder Matt Mullenweg on leave, names CFO interim CEO

On paid leave from Automattic; remains on the board and heads WordPress

Automattic's board voted September 9 to place founder and chief executive Matt Mullenweg on paid leave against his will. Chief financial officer Mark Davies steps in as interim CEO — a role Mullenweg voted against.

Updated 2 hours ago

The battle for WordPress: WP Engine vs. Automattic

Rule Changes

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

Notable Quotes

Mark Davies has conspired with [board members] behind my back and they voted to put me on a paid leave of absence. I voted against that. — Mullenweg, in an internal Slack message

from Automattic board places founder Matt Mullenweg on leave, names CFO interim CEO · Updated 2 hours ago

Silver Lake doesn't give a dang about your open source ideals, it just wants return on capital.

from The battle for WordPress: WP Engine vs. Automattic · Updated May 19

WP Engine is a cancer to WordPress. They profit from WordPress without giving much back, while also disabling key features that make WordPress powerful.

from The battle for WordPress: WP Engine vs. Automattic · Updated May 19