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Techcrunch 09 September 2026

Mullenweg forced leave by board at Automattic

Mullenweg forced leave by board at Automattic

Matt Mullenweg, the CEO of Automattic, the company behind the popular content management system WordPress, has been forced by the board of directors to take a temporary leave of absence. In an internal Slack message to his employees, Mullenweg indicated that this decision is not in line with his own wishes.

The boardroom of Automattic has implemented significant policies that have raised questions about Mullenweg's involvement in the day-to-day operations. This development underscores tensions within management and raises questions about the future direction of the company.

This unusual decision has elicited both internal and external reactions, with analysts wondering how these changes will affect Automattic's performance and the impact on the broader WordPress ecosystem. Mullenweg, who has led the company since its founding in 2005, has played a pivotal role in the development of open-source technologies and the popularity of WordPress.

With the announcement of this forced absence, many are speculating about the implications for Automattic's business strategy and what this means for the millions of businesses that rely on the platform for their online presence. It is still unclear how long Mullenweg will be away and what steps the board of directors will take while he is absent.

Read the full article from Techcrunch.