Inside the 33-hour failed boardroom coup to overthrow WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg

Matt Mullenweg regained control of Automattic roughly 33 hours after the company’s board voted to place him on paid leave, in a sudden leadership crisis at the owner of WordPress, Tumblr and other web-based applications.

A sudden challenge to Mullenweg

On Sept. 9, Automattic’s six-member board approved the leave. The decision came shortly after Mullenweg returned from his annual trip to Burning Man and appeared unexpected given that several directors had mentored him for years.

Mullenweg informed employees through Slack, saying he had opposed the decision and accusing Mark Davies, Ann Dunwoody, Toni and Sue Decker of conspiring against him. The message revealed the leadership dispute directly to staff as the board’s action became public.

CEO returns as directors depart

The attempted removal lasted only 33 hours. Mullenweg returned to control of the company and greeted employees with a message referencing LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.”

The reversal also brought major changes to Automattic’s leadership. Three directors involved in the effort to sideline Mullenweg were removed, along with the company’s chief financial officer and chief legal officer.

What the episode means for Automattic

The rapid reversal leaves Automattic with a materially changed board and senior management team. It also highlights the concentration of leadership around Mullenweg, who founded WordPress and leads the company behind several prominent web platforms.

Details about the underlying dispute and the company’s next steps were not provided. For now, the clearest outcome is that Mullenweg remains in charge after an attempted boardroom challenge that ended within two days.