Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has appointed a new board weeks after the company’s previous directors placed him on leave in an unsuccessful attempt to remove him from leadership. The new directors include science-fiction author Hugh Howey, author Amy Chan, and former IRL co-founders Henry Khachatryan and Krutal Desai.
The board changes were announced internally to employees on September 25 and later confirmed by Mullenweg, according to TechCrunch. Automattic owns services including WordPress.com, Tumblr and WooCommerce.
Four Directors Join Automattic’s New Board
Howey is best known for writing the “Silo” science-fiction series, while Chan wrote “Breakup Bootcamp.” Khachatryan and Desai previously co-founded social networking startup IRL, which shut down in 2023 after an internal investigation found that the vast majority of its reported users were automated or fake accounts.
IRL later became the subject of litigation involving its founders and investors. SoftBank sued the company and some executives alleging that user numbers had been misrepresented, while former executives subsequently brought their own claims against investors.
Automattic has also added several advisers, including former Whoop CTO Jaime Waydo, June co-founder Matt Van Horn and KISSmetrics co-founder Hiten Shah. Mullenweg told staff that the company had held its most notable board meeting since Automattic acquired WooCommerce in 2015.
Mullenweg Returned After 33 Hours on Leave
The changes follow a September 9 vote by Automattic’s previous board to place Mullenweg on paid leave. CFO Mark Davies was named interim CEO, but Mullenweg returned to control of the company about 33 hours later.
Former directors Toni Schneider and Sue Decker subsequently resigned, while Mullenweg removed retired U.S. Army General Ann Dunwoody from the board. Davies and chief legal officer Andy Missan also left the company, and Automattic later named Jeremy Klaperman as interim CFO.
Mullenweg has said he used his voting control to reverse the board’s action. He previously said he controls about 84% of Automattic’s voting power.
The former board has not publicly explained why it voted to place Mullenweg on leave. After returning, Mullenweg also changed Automattic’s litigation counsel to Susman Godfrey as the company continues its legal dispute with hosting provider WP Engine.
Mullenweg said the newly assembled leadership will be working through a period he described as unusually important for Automattic, adding that the next six months could shape the company’s direction for years.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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