Automattic Rebuilds Board Weeks After Mullenweg Ouster Attempt

Automattic disclosed a fully rebuilt board of directors on Friday, three weeks after the prior board's attempt to force out CEO Matt Mullenweg collapsed, according to TechCrunch, which cited sources and confirmation from Mullenweg (Sept. 25, 2026). The numbers behind the shake-up show how fast the reversal happened and how differently composed the new board is.

How long did it take Mullenweg to retake control?

The prior board voted to place Mullenweg on leave, then reversed course, TechCrunch reported. Mullenweg regained control of the company in 33 hours, per TechCrunch's account of the internal fight, and removed or accepted the resignations of the directors involved in the leave vote.

Who sits on the new board?

Four new directors joined the rebuilt board, TechCrunch reported: science-fiction author Hugh Howey, "Breakup Bootcamp" author Amy Chan, and IRL co-founders Henry Khachatryan and Krutal Desai. Howey and Mullenweg share a personal connection dating to 2018, when the two hiked the Camino de Santiago in Spain together, according to TechCrunch. Chan had recently reposted Mullenweg's post about Automattic's AI site builder, Spacefast, the outlet reported.

Khachatryan and Desai previously co-founded IRL, a social app that TechCrunch noted shut down after investigations found nearly all of its user base consisted of bots. IRL's leadership, including CEO Abraham Shafi, later sued SoftBank and other investors after SoftBank sued IRL for securities fraud, per TechCrunch.

Which advisers joined alongside the board?

Three new advisers were added at the same time, TechCrunch reported: former Whoop chief technology officer Jaime Waydo, June co-founder Matt Van Horn, and KISSmetrics co-founder Hiten Shah.

What titles does Mullenweg now hold?

Mullenweg told staff in a Slack announcement that he holds four corporate titles at once, TechCrunch reported: "for purposes of Delaware law, I am the CEO, President, Treasurer, and Secretary."

"We had the most interesting board meeting in a decade (since the Woo acquisition)," Mullenweg wrote to staff, according to TechCrunch.

Automattic's portfolio spans at least three named consumer and business brands cited by TechCrunch — WordPress.com, Tumblr, and WooCommerce — plus other properties the outlet did not enumerate.

What did Mullenweg say about the company's next six months?

In a statement to TechCrunch after publication, Mullenweg said: "We are living through times of unprecedented change, possibly a singularity. The next six months will determine the next 20 years of Automattic." Automattic told TechCrunch it hoped to have a comment "soon" when first reached, before Mullenweg's statement followed.

What to watch

• Whether any of the four former directors involved in the leave vote take further legal or public action.
• How the four new board members and three advisers vote on major decisions, including Automattic's AI products like Spacefast.
• Whether Automattic files any Delaware corporate disclosures formally naming the new board.
• Whether IRL co-founders' past bot-user controversy and SoftBank litigation draw additional scrutiny to the new board.

This piece is sourced entirely to TechCrunch's Sept. 25, 2026 report; Automattic has not published its own governance statement independent of that account.