# Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg reportedly placed on leave

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/automattic-ceo-matt-mullenweg-reportedly-placed-on-leave/
- Published: 2026-09-10T08:37:07+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-10T14:44:02+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/tech/993022/wordpress-automattic-ceo-matt-mullenweg-leave-of-absence
- Topics: Business, Companies, Elections, Politics

## Key points

- Mullenweg placed on paid leave; CFO Mark Davies named interim CEO
- Mullenweg claims Davies "conspired" with board to oust him
- He remains a board member; dispute follows 2024 WordPress host controversy

## Summary

Automattic has confirmed that founder and chief executive Matt Mullenweg has been placed on paid leave, with chief financial officer Mark Davies stepping in as interim CEO. Spokesperson Megan Fox told The Verge the board has "full confidence" in Davies's leadership, verifying a boardroom dispute first reported by 404 Media in which Mullenweg alleged Davies had "conspired" with fellow board members to force him out. The episode marks a striking rupture at the top of the WordPress.com parent company, given Mullenweg's decade-long, high-profile tenure as its figurehead, and follows a turbulent period in which his 2024 pressure campaign against a rival WordPress host split the open-source community and triggered litigation that continues today.

Board member Toni Schneider said the board had "decided to ask Matt to step away" and voiced confidence that Davies would "steer the ship well" in his absence, while Mullenweg insists he voted against the move himself. He named Davies, Schneider, Ann Dunwoody and Sue Decker as the board members responsible for the decision. Mullenweg, who co-founded WordPress.org and has led Automattic since 2014, remains on the company's board despite losing the chief executive role for the duration of his leave.

## Coverage

- [The Verge: Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg reportedly placed on leave](https://www.theverge.com/tech/993022/wordpress-automattic-ceo-matt-mullenweg-leave-of-absence)
- [TechCrunch: Automattic’s board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence](https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/09/automattics-board-forces-ceo-matt-mullenweg-into-leave-of-absence/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.