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Automattic\u2019s board is out, multiple sources have confirmed to TechCrunch, after last week\u2019s attempt to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg<\/a> by voting to put him on a paid leave of absence. <\/p>\n After the vote, Mullenweg, the WordPress founder and CEO of WordPress.com parent company Automattic, accused the board of conspiring against him in a post on Automattic\u2019s Slack. On Friday, TechCrunch exclusively reported Mullenweg told the company\u2019s staff that he was back in control<\/a> of the company, also via Slack post. Automattic confirmed to TechCrunch on Saturday<\/a> that he had returned.<\/p>\n Initially, we heard from sources that Toni Schneider,<\/a> a founding CEO at Automattic who now leads the open social network Bluesky, had resigned his Automattic board seat. Schneider has since removed a paragraph from his bio page on his personal website<\/a> which had noted his contributions at Automattic.<\/p>\n Previously, Schneider\u2019s website read<\/a>: <\/em>\u201cI also contribute actively at\u00a0Automattic, the open source company behind WordPress.com and WooCommerce. I was Automattic\u2019s founding CEO and continue to support internal projects and investments as a board member and special advisor.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019ve also heard that Mullenweg removed the two other board members, Sue Decker<\/a> and Gen<\/a>. Ann Dunwoody<\/a>.<\/p>\n Decker\u2019s LinkedIn bio has been updated to confirm that she served on Automattic\u2019s board from March 2020 through September 2026, despite her name still appearing on Automattic\u2019s Board of Directors<\/a> page at the time of publication.<\/p>\n When asked by TechCrunch about the board changes, Automattic declined to provide specifics, but offered a statement acknowledging that people have left.<\/p>\n Via an email that arrived after midnight PT on Sunday, an Automattic spokesperson shared the following:<\/p>\n \u201cMatt and Automattic\u2019s leadership team have great respect for everyone involved. While we can\u2019t comment on specific individuals, we\u2019re thankful for their contributions to Automattic and its mission, and we remain excited about what\u2019s ahead with Matt at the helm. Matt was away for only 33 hours and 20 minutes\u2014we\u2019re now back to work,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Given that these departed board members were those who voted to put Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence to begin with, it makes sense that a board shakeup has taken place. It also explains how Mullenweg\u2019s return to his position as CEO would have the \u201cfull support of the board,\u201d as a statement issued on Saturday<\/a> indicated. <\/p>\n TechCrunch is hearing from sources Automattic may make an internal announcement about the new board sometime on Monday.<\/p>\n What prompted the board\u2019s vote still remains unclear. Mullenweg and Automattic are involved in a high-profile lawsuit<\/a> with a WordPress hosting company, WP Engine. Mullenweg has accused the company of infringing on the WordPress trademark and not sufficiently contributing in terms of engineering hours or money to the open source WordPress effort. Earlier this year, WP Engine claimed in a court filing that Automattic planned to target other competitors with royalty fees<\/a>. <\/p>\n More recently, it has accused Mullenweg of allegedly destroying evidence<\/a> related to the case in apps like WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram. Last year, Mullenweg had deactivated the accounts of several WordPress contributors<\/a> over alleged plans to fork the open source software. <\/p>\n Do you have more information? You can reach Sarah Perez at sarahp@techcrunch.com or @sarahperez.01 on Signal.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission<\/a>. This doesn\u2019t affect our editorial independence.<\/em><\/p>\n