Matt Mullenweg

Automattic, the company behind WordPress, has reportedly seen its entire board removed following what sources describe as a failed attempt to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg. The reported purge of directors has raised questions about corporate governance at the privately held firm, which also owns Tumblr and WooCommerce. Details about who orchestrated the alleged coup and who now sits on the board remain limited.

Automattic has confirmed that Matt Mullenweg is back as chief executive of WordPress parent company after what is described as an attempted ouster by the board. The leadership struggle has reignited debate in the tech community about Mullenweg's grip on the open-source project and whether his stewardship is good for WordPress's future, with many weighing in on the ongoing drama.

Automattic has appointed a new board of directors after an attempt to place CEO Matt Mullenweg on leave failed. Mullenweg reportedly wrote that, for purposes of Delaware law, he is the company's CEO, President, Treasurer, and Secretary, and said the attempted removal had also brought in many new supporters. The internal power struggle at the company behind WordPress.com is drawing attention across the tech industry.

Matt Mullenweg has used his supermajority voting power to remove the board of directors that had voted to fire him, according to a Fortune report. The move reverses his own dismissal and underlines his controlling stake in the company. The power struggle has drawn attention across the startup and tech community, with observers weighing in on governance implications of a founder able to overrule and dismiss the very board that removed him.