Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has restructured the company's board following a failed attempt by the previous directors to place him on leave and remove him from power. The upheaval occurred earlier in September when the former board voted to sideline Mullenweg, only for him to regain control within 33 hours by leveraging his majority voting shares. After retaking control, Mullenweg accepted resignations or removed directors involved in the attempted ouster and dismissed key executives, including the CFO and chief legal officer.

The new board, announced this week to Automattic employees, features a diverse and unconventional group including Hugh Howey, a bestselling science-fiction author; Amy Chan, author of “Breakup Bootcamp”; and Henry Khachatryan and Krutal Desai, co-founders of the now-defunct social app IRL. IRL had shut down after investigations revealed its user base was predominantly bots, and the co-founders had been involved in lawsuits related to investors and securities fraud claims. Mullenweg described the new board members as experienced founders and builders, and he also added new advisors such as former Whoop CTO Jaime Waydo and KISSmetrics co-founder Hiten Shah.

The board drama at Automattic has not been publicly explained in detail by the former directors, but it coincides with ongoing litigation concerns related to a trademark dispute and open-source contribution claims against hosting provider WP Engine. Mullenweg confirmed he had replaced Automattic’s legal counsel with Susman Godfrey LLP to better defend the company’s interests in these legal battles. In a message to staff, Mullenweg acknowledged the episode's disruption but emphasized his commitment to the company’s mission, noting the recent board meeting was the most interesting the company had experienced in a decade.

Looking forward, Mullenweg sees the current period as a critical pivot point for Automattic’s future. He stated that the next six months would be decisive for the company’s direction over the next twenty years amid what he described as an era of unprecedented change. With the new governance structure in place, Automattic aims to stabilize leadership and continue its work with properties like WordPress.com, Tumblr, and WooCommerce, moving past the turmoil of the boardroom conflict.