Automattic Headlines

The Next Web

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has named a new board including author Hugh Howey and two IRL co-founders, weeks after the previous directors tried to place him on leave.

Companies:Automattic

Gizmodo

Gizmodo reports that Automattic's board, CFO, and chief legal officer were removed or resigned after the failed attempt to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg, and that new board members and advisers were brought in.

Companies:Automattic

The Verge

A short Verge news note reporting that, two weeks after Automattic's board failed to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg, the company's board has been replaced.

Companies:Automattic

TechCrunch

TechCrunch reports that Automattic named WordPress VIP CFO Jeremy Klaperman as interim CFO following the departures of CFO Mark Davies and Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan after the attempted ouster of Matt Mullenweg.

Companies:Automattic

StrictlyVC

A StrictlyVC industry newsletter covering OpenAI's latest model-behavior disclosures, which also reports on a TechCrunch exclusive that Automattic CFO Mark Davies and chief legal officer Andy Missan approved each other's exit packages during CEO Matt Mullenweg's 33-hour ouster, potentially worth $8.15 million.

Companies:Automattic

Computerworld

An opinion/analysis column arguing that boards of directors have lost power over tech CEOs, using Automattic's Matt Mullenweg and his 33-hour ouster and return as the leading example alongside OpenAI and Apple.

Companies:Automattic

TechCrunch

After a tumultuous week that saw WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg ousted from his position as CEO of WordPress.com’s parent company Automattic by way of a board vote, the company has now issued a statement confirming that Mullenweg has returned to his position.

Companies:Automattic

The Verge

The Verge reports that Matt Mullenweg says he has been reinstated as Automattic CEO two days after being placed on a paid leave of absence by the board.

Companies:Automattic

TechCrunch

TechCrunch reports that Matt Mullenweg messaged Automattic staff in Slack claiming he is back in control as CEO days after the board voted to remove him.

Companies:Automattic

Automattic

Automattic announced a new read-only MCP (Model Context Protocol) service that connects Automattic for Agencies accounts to AI tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor, letting agencies query account and program data directly from their AI assistant.

Companies:Automattic

Computerworld

Analysis piece examining what Matt Mullenweg's forced leave from Automattic means for enterprise WordPress users, noting he still personally controls WordPress.org and its update pipeline.

Companies:Automattic

The Verge

The Verge reports that Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has been placed on a paid leave of absence, with the company confirming CFO Mark Davies will serve as interim CEO.

Companies:Automattic

TechCrunch

Automattic's board voted to place founder and CEO Matt Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence against his wishes, with CFO Mark Davies named interim CEO. Mullenweg described the move in an internal Slack message as a board conspiracy.

Companies:Automattic

TechRepublic

TechRepublic reports on Automattic's WordPress.com Education program, which gives students a free plan for 12 months, including full web-building tools and no credit card requirement.

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TechCrunch

Automattic's WordPress.com introduces WordPress.com Education, giving teachers and students access to a free Student plan with hosting, domains, plugin support, and more for the first year.

Companies:Automattic

Microsoft Newsroom

The Linux Foundation joined Cisco, Dell Technologies, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, NVIDIA and other industry signatories in an open letter which makes the case that open weight models are an essential part of the foundation for secure, universally accessible and innovative AI . The letter argues that the right response to the real risks of open weights is a stronger open ecosystem rather than prohibition, and that policymakers should encourage rather than restrict frontier open models.

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Variety

Variety article on new Automattic film.

Companies:Automattic

Online Store News

WooCommerce released a major block editor overhaul bringing product pages, cart, and checkout into the WordPress Site Editor, improving performance and customization.

Companies:Automattic

Ecommerce Times

Unconfirmed rumors suggest Automattic may spin off WooCommerce, with PE firms showing interest, causing concern among agencies and merchants.

Companies:Automattic

Web Hosting News

Automattic releases Desktop Mode plugin for WordPress, transforming the admin panel into a desktop-like environment with draggable windows and virtual spaces.

Companies:Automattic

Online Store News

WooCommerce 9.0 is released with a rebuilt block checkout, AI-powered search, and a Composable Data Layer for headless commerce.

Companies:Automattic

Ecommerce Times

Internal sources suggest Automattic may decouple WooCommerce front-end from Gutenberg, signaling a strategic pivot.

Companies:Automattic

Online Store News

Rumors that Automattic has held preliminary talks about selling WooCommerce to strategic buyers.

Companies:Automattic

The Blog Herald

Analysis of ongoing WordPress governance issues and the unresolved structural problems involving Automattic and Matt Mullenweg.

Companies:Automattic

WordPress.com News

WordPress.com is now available as a provider on Stripe Projects, allowing developers to provision sites via CLI.

Companies:Automattic