The most expensive 33 hours in WordPress history...

Overview

This episode unpacks the dramatic 33-hour saga in which WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg was ousted as CEO of Automattic by the board, only to reclaim his position shortly after. The story delves into power struggles, legal battles, and the eccentricities of a tech founder navigating a corporate coup.

Notable Quotes

- If you don't have a coup attempt every few years, you're not hiring strong enough leaders. – Matt Mullenweg, on leadership challenges.

- Oh, since I'm a pirate now, I curse. After 42 years of never uttering a curse word, it's kind of fun. – Matt Mullenweg, embracing his new persona post-coup.

- One thing is if you're really open in open source, sometimes you have to stand up to bullies and you have to fight to protect your open source ideals. – Matt Mullenweg, on his commitment to open-source principles.

🛠️ The Coup at Automattic

- Automattic's board of directors attempted to oust Matt Mullenweg, the co-founder of WordPress, while he was at Burning Man.

- CFO Mark Davies was promoted to CEO, with the board expressing full confidence in him. Employees initially seemed supportive of the decision.

- The board's decision was reportedly influenced by Mullenweg's ongoing legal battles with WP Engine, which accused him of destroying evidence in a lawsuit.

🏴‍☠️ Matt Mullenweg’s Pirate Persona

- Upon learning of his removal, Mullenweg took to Slack, accusing the board of conspiring against him and declaring himself a pirate.

- He added a pirate flag emoji to his Slack name and began using curse words for the first time in 42 years.

- Mullenweg leveraged his 84% voting power to replace the board and reinstate himself as CEO.

💰 Severance Fallout

- Before being fired, CFO Mark Davies and Chief Legal Officer Andy Masaan drafted severance agreements entitling them to over $8 million in payouts.

- Despite their removal, Automattic is now obligated to honor these agreements, making the coup attempt an expensive miscalculation.

🤔 Employee Confusion and Lack of Transparency

- Automattic employees were left in the dark about the reasons behind the coup and its aftermath.

- Instead of addressing the situation directly, Mullenweg shared a blog post about his interest in buying a houseboat, adding to the confusion.

⚖️ Legal and Ethical Implications

- Speculation arose that private equity firm Silver Lake, which backs WP Engine, may have influenced the board’s decision to remove Mullenweg.

- The incident highlights the complexities of corporate governance in founder-led companies, especially when founders hold significant voting power.