The WordPress parent company's founder says he was returned to his post two days after the board placed him on paid leave, claiming CFO Mark Davies conspired…
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Matt Mullenweg has been reinstated as CEO of Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com and Tumblr, just two days after being placed on a paid leave of absence. The reversal was announced in a Slack message Mullenweg sent to staff, seen by TechCrunch. Mullenweg claimed that CFO Mark Davies "conspired" with the board of directors to vote him out, though he said he voted against that decision. The brief ouster marked a dramatic leadership shakeup at the company, which operates one of the world's most widely used content management systems. The circumstances surrounding the board's initial decision and rapid reinstatement remain unclear, and Automattic has not publicly commented on the internal dispute.
Meanwhile, Apple unveiled its first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, at a launch event that also marked John Ternus's debut as the company's new CEO. The Vergecast discussed how Ternus performed in his first appearance as chief executive, along with reactions to the new iPhone lineup and Apple's expanding AI features.
In other tech news, the White House claimed in a statement provided to The New York Times that Donald Trump's Truth Social is the "most powerful and popular social media platform in the world." The claim conflicts with data from Search Engine Land showing YouTube as the most popular platform globally by user count.
Watch for further developments on the Automattic leadership situation and any response from the board regarding the brief removal.
Sources: 1.