21CTO

Sep 15, 2026 · Industry Insights

Automattic Board Forces WordPress Founder Mullenweg on Paid Leave, Echoes OpenAI

Automattic's board voted to place WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg on paid leave and appoint CFO Mark Davis as interim CEO, a move Mullenweg called a covert coup; he regained control within 48 hours, mirroring OpenAI's 2023 leadership turmoil, while the open-source WordPress.org project remains unaffected.