Automattic's board has forced CEO Matt Mullenweg into a leave of absence he says he never agreed to.
The move sidelines Mullenweg from his day-to-day role at Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com and Tumblr. The only account of what happened comes from Mullenweg himself, who told staff in a company Slack message that the leave was against his will. Automattic has not issued a public statement explaining the board's reasoning, and no replacement or timeline for his return has been disclosed.
A board forcing out its own founder-CEO, even temporarily, is unusual on its own terms. It suggests the board judged the situation serious enough to act over Mullenweg's objection, which is worth noting given he has run Automattic since founding it. That combination, an unwilling founder and a silent board, is likely to draw scrutiny to Automattic's governance in the weeks ahead.
For now, the only detailed account of events comes from the person the board just pushed out, which is worth keeping in mind.