On September 9, 2026, the board of directors of Automattic, the company behind the popular website-building platform WordPress.com, voted to place its founder and CEO, Matt Mullenweg, on paid leave. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mark Davies, was immediately named interim CEO. Mullenweg responded on internal messaging platforms and social media, calling the move a "coup attempt." He then disabled Davies’ access to company systems, regained control of the company’s infrastructure, and asserted his position as an ultra-majority shareholder. Mullenweg effectively resumed the role of CEO after 33 hours, during which he pushed out several board members. Toni Schneider, a former CEO, and Sue Decker resigned, while General Ann Dunwoody was removed from her position. Mullenweg also fired the CFO, Mark Davies, and the legal director, Andy Missan. By late September 2026, Mullenweg officially announced a new, highly unusual board of directors, which included science fiction author Hugh Howey, author Amy Chan, and Henry Khatachryan and Krutal Desai, co-founders of the former social application IRL. The board of directors of Automattic would have resigned after the failed attempt to remove CEO Matt Mullenweg, who regained control of the company 33 hours after being removed. Mullenweg stated that it was the fifth "coup attempt" he had faced since taking charge of the company. Automattic plays a significant role in structuring a large part of the web through WordPress.com, which powers 40% of the web, as well as WooCommerce and Tumblr. This leadership instability has raised concerns among developers and companies that rely on these technologies. This failed coup occurs amid a fierce legal and commercial battle between Automattic and WP Engine over trademark usage. The change in Automattic’s legal and financial leadership could influence the course of this critical conflict in web hosting. The concentration of power in the hands of a single individual has sparked discussions within the developer community about the governance of open-source projects and the balance between personal interests and community contributions. This incident highlights the limitations of traditional boards of directors when facing founders with super-voting rights. A board cannot effectively act as a check and balance if the CEO can unilaterally dissolve it in a short time. When a global company is entirely dependent on the decisions of its founder, operational stability and brand reputation become highly unpredictable. Companies relying on open-source models must urgently separate the governance of community-driven foundations, such as WordPress.org, from the for-profit entity, Automattic. This separation is crucial to prevent internal crises from disrupting the broader ecosystem, as seen in the web development community.