Automattic, the parent company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce, and other digital platforms, has undergone a significant board restructuring led by its CEO, Matt Mullenweg. This comes just weeks after a failed attempt by the previous board to remove him from his position. According to TechCrunch, the new board includes a mix of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including a best-selling science fiction author and two co-founders of the now-defunct social app IRL. The changes reflect the ongoing internal governance struggle at the company, which has been marked by intense leadership disputes. Earlier this month, the former board voted to place Mullenweg on paid leave, an action he described as a "coup attempt." However, he regained control within just 33 hours and either removed or accepted the resignations of the directors involved. In a recent internal message, Mullenweg shared updates about a board meeting but did not disclose the attendees. He is now informing Automattic employees of the new board structure through the company’s Slack communication channel. The new board includes Hugh Howey, the author of the "Silo" book series, and Amy Chan, who recently reposted a tweet from Mullenweg about an AI site builder called Spacefast. Also on the board are Henry Khatachryan and Krutal Desai, co-founders of IRL, a social app that collapsed after investigations found that nearly all of its users were bots. The co-founders later sued SoftBank and other investors after being accused of securities fraud. Additional advisers joining the board include Jaime Waydo of Curio Studio, Matt Van Horn of June, and Hiten Shah of KISSmetrics. Mullenweg, who controls 84% of the company’s voting shares, replaced the previous board using his voting power. Following the failed board vote, several board members, including Toni Schneider, Ann Dunwoody, and Sue Decker, resigned or were removed. Mullenweg also let go of Automattic’s CFO and Chief Legal Officer. The reasons behind the previous board’s attempt to remove him were never publicly explained. The legal changes, including the hiring of Susman Godfrey LLP as new litigation counsel, have raised questions about whether the board conflict is connected to an ongoing lawsuit with hosting provider WP Engine over trademark disputes and claims about WP Engine’s contributions to the WordPress open source project.