Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence • Hacker News Board

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#111

Post by ljm » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:02 AM UTC

Spinfusor wrote: post #49

reticulates wrote: post #27

I think it is easy to underestimate how big of a deal this is. Matt has a stranglehold on Automattic and Wordpress, it is not possible to remove his control over the ecosystem and he is volatile. Ousting him as CEO is almost certain to cause a major reaction from Matt, so, for Automattic to make this decision is a very big deal. The right decision for the long term but the hard decision. I expect we will see Matt try…

If he has 84% voting share, can't he just fire the board?

If he's lost the confidence of the board and does that, how much is his company worth?

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#112

Post by angry_octet » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:07 AM UTC

Onavo wrote: post #87

angry_octet wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regardless of who he puts on the board, directors have legal obligations to the SEC and all shareholders. If he wants that level of control he would need to take the company private, and various investor agreements probably prevent this.

> If he wants that level of control he would need to take the company private, and various investor agreements probably prevent this. Since when was Automatic a public listed company?

I should have said: establish sole ownership.

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#113

Post by wpm » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:15 AM UTC

downrightmike wrote: post #78

pbreit wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No reason given?

He got tired of WPEngine not contributing back to wordpress, so he made it his mission to try and get them to pitch in.

Does WPEngine have any obligation to contribute back? How is WordPress licensed?

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#114

Post by compiler-guy » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:18 AM UTC

skissane wrote: post #94

datakan wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had a President make a big ordeal about leaving "for health reasons". His LinkedIn had him at a new company within a couple months doing the same thing. Had a CISO leave for "personal" reasons. Talked to him a couple years later and yeah, he was fired. Steal 20$ out of a cash register and make the local news. Waste a billion dollars at a corp and make insane decisions and ride out on a golden parachute. Its a fucked…

> Steal 20$ out of a cash register and make the local news. Waste a billion dollars at a corp and make insane decisions and ride out on a golden parachute. Its a fucked up world. I think if we are just looking at the media: Most journalists wouldn't consider some nobody stealing $20 to be newsworthy in itself. Most corporate scandals receive extensive media coverage. Even a CEO who was merely incompetent instead of c…

There is also the issue that the next person stepping into their shoes to clean up the mess is being recruited exactly during this time. And if your company gets a reputation for not paying out prenegotiated severances or nitpicking over them, it makes the next candidate that much more wary.

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#115

Post by duskwuff » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:21 AM UTC

downrightmike wrote: post #78

pbreit wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No reason given?

He got tired of WPEngine not contributing back to wordpress, so he made it his mission to try and get them to pitch in.

WordPress is free software. Its users are under no obligation to contribute to its development, or to give money to Automattic.

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#116

Post by gkanai » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:21 AM UTC

Onavo wrote: post #87

angry_octet wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Regardless of who he puts on the board, directors have legal obligations to the SEC and all shareholders. If he wants that level of control he would need to take the company private, and various investor agreements probably prevent this.

> If he wants that level of control he would need to take the company private, and various investor agreements probably prevent this. Since when was Automatic a public listed company?

It is not. They did take VC funding however, which is when the board and the investor agreements came into force.

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#117

Post by ramy_d » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:27 AM UTC

ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #104

datakan wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had a President make a big ordeal about leaving "for health reasons". His LinkedIn had him at a new company within a couple months doing the same thing. Had a CISO leave for "personal" reasons. Talked to him a couple years later and yeah, he was fired. Steal 20$ out of a cash register and make the local news. Waste a billion dollars at a corp and make insane decisions and ride out on a golden parachute. Its a fucked…

So you would prefer a media circus and investor scrutiny when your employer's executives are fired for failures or misconduct? This is likely to cause the price of the shares to drop, including any ESPP and stock grants you and your coworkers have vested. Is the satisfaction of seeing an executive dragged through the mud worth losing a chunk of your net worth to you, no matter how much the exec deserves it? I'd rathe…

"Someone! Think of the shareholders!"

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#118

Post by lukestevens » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:27 AM UTC

Shank wrote: post #2

> “And the biggest news: I won't be able to make the ELT tomorrow,” Matt wrote in an Announcement Slack. He continued, writing that Mark Davies, current Automattic Chief Financial Officer, has “conspired” with Automattic Board of Directors members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker “behind my back and they voted to put me on a paid leave of absence. I voted against that.” If you’re doing this type of accusa…

Who knows, maybe he can try and blackmail them too[0] to get his way. It's worked out great so far.

[0] https://joshcollinsworth.com/blog/fire-matt#102-wp-engine-fi...

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#119

Post by Henchman21 » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:28 AM UTC

ThrowawayR2 wrote: post #104

datakan wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Had a President make a big ordeal about leaving "for health reasons". His LinkedIn had him at a new company within a couple months doing the same thing. Had a CISO leave for "personal" reasons. Talked to him a couple years later and yeah, he was fired. Steal 20$ out of a cash register and make the local news. Waste a billion dollars at a corp and make insane decisions and ride out on a golden parachute. Its a fucked…

So you would prefer a media circus and investor scrutiny when your employer's executives are fired for failures or misconduct? This is likely to cause the price of the shares to drop, including any ESPP and stock grants you and your coworkers have vested. Is the satisfaction of seeing an executive dragged through the mud worth losing a chunk of your net worth to you, no matter how much the exec deserves it? I'd rathe…

> Is the satisfaction of seeing an executive dragged through the mud worth losing a chunk of your net worth to you, no matter how much the exec deserves it?

Yes. There is far too little truth and justice in this world, most especially for corporate executives.

> I'd rather keep the money, personally.

Of course, me too buddy, me too. But some things are more important, don't you think? It would be a much much better world if the wealthy and powerful had to think carefully before acting. Think carefully before that action of misconduct. Bear the responsibility for their actions. Be afraid of the consequences.

Re: Automattic's board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence

#120

Post by jongjong » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 2:29 AM UTC

Shank wrote: post #2

> “And the biggest news: I won't be able to make the ELT tomorrow,” Matt wrote in an Announcement Slack. He continued, writing that Mark Davies, current Automattic Chief Financial Officer, has “conspired” with Automattic Board of Directors members Ann Dunwoody, Toni Schneider, and Sue Decker “behind my back and they voted to put me on a paid leave of absence. I voted against that.” If you’re doing this type of accusa…

I'm surprised that founders still care about all that stuff. They already made tons of money, who cares. None of it means anything. Nothing is fair in this society.

They don't mind the system working unfairly in their favor; they only have an issue with it when it starts working against them. At that point, it's too late; you have no voice.