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Company

Automattic

Filtered to Leadership & Hiring ×
84 articles – accelerating

A 12-story peak in 2024Q4 centered on Automattic’s WP Engine conflict; by September 2026, coverage had shifted to Matt Mullenweg’s brief removal and board-backed return as CEO.

Who they are

Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com and a central commercial force in the broader WordPress ecosystem, appearing in coverage through its products, acquisitions and the leadership of co-founder Matt Mullenweg. Its portfolio stories also extend to Tumblr, acquired from Verizon in 2019, and messaging app Beeper, acquired in 2024.

The recent arc

Coverage reached its recent high in 2024Q4 as Automattic’s dispute with WP Engine escalated from access and trademark allegations into litigation. Headlines focused on Mullenweg cutting WP Engine’s free WordPress.org access, his assertion that WordPress.org belongs to him personally, employee severance departures tied to the conflict, and Automattic’s counterclaims to WP Engine’s October 2024 suit. The episode put unusual focus on the boundaries among Automattic, WordPress.org and the WordPress Foundation.

Automattic has appeared in 84 articles since 2006-04. Coverage peaked in 2024Q4 with 12 articles. Frequently mentioned alongside WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, WordPress.com, Tumblr.

Articles
84
mentions
Velocity
+350.0%
growth rate
Acceleration
+2.500
velocity change
Sources
37
publications

Coverage Timeline

2026-09-27
TechCrunch 3 related

Sources: Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg announces a new board and new advisers; board members include two founders of IRL and the author of the Silo book series

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has rebuilt the company's board just weeks after its previous directors tried, and failed, to oust him.

2026-09-26
TechCrunch 3 related

Sources: Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg announces a new board and new advisers; board members include two founders of IRL and the author of the Silo book series

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has rebuilt the company's board just weeks after its previous directors tried, and failed, to oust him.

2026-09-17
TechCrunch 3 related

Docs: Automattic interim CEO Mark Davies and CLO Andy Missan signed each other's severance agreements, worth $8.15M, during Matt Mullenweg's brief ouster as CEO

2026-09-14
TechCrunch 10 related

Automattic confirms Matt Mullenweg has returned to his position as chairman and CEO “with full support of the board”, after an attempted ouster this week

2026-09-13
TechCrunch 8 related

Automattic confirms Matt Mullenweg has returned to his position as chairman and CEO “with full support of the board”, after an attempted ouster this week

After a tumultuous week, which saw WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg ousted from his position as CEO of Automattic …

2026-09-12
TechCrunch 12 related

Sources: in an internal Slack message Matt Mullenweg claims he is back in control of Automattic; on X, he says this may have been fifth coup attempt against him

Matt Mullenweg has posted a message to Automattic's Slack, claiming he is back in control as CEO of the WordPress.com parent company …

2026-09-11
TechCrunch 14 related

Sources: in an internal Slack message Matt Mullenweg claims he is back in control of Automattic; on X, he says this may have been fifth coup attempt against him

Matt Mullenweg has posted a message to Automattic's Slack, claiming he is back in control as CEO of the WordPress.com parent company …

2026-09-10
404 Media 19 related

Slack messages: Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg says he has been put on paid leave after CFO Mark Davies “conspired” with board members and was voted interim CEO

Mullenweg, co-founder of Wordpress, wrote in a company-wide Slack channel on Wednesday that board members “conspired” …

2026-09-09
404 Media 5 related

Slack messages: Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg says he has been put on paid leave after CFO Mark Davies “conspired” with board members and was voted interim CEO

Mullenweg, co-founder of Wordpress, wrote in a company-wide Slack channel on Wednesday that board members “conspired” …Forums:Hacker NewsForums:Hacker News:Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg Put on ‘Leave ...

2025-07-01
The Verge 2 related

Q&A with Matt Mullenweg on licensing deals with AI companies, putting Tumblr's backend migration to WordPress “on hold”, fediverse, content moderation, and more

In honor of Automattic's 20th anniversary, and also since it's been a few years … Bluesky: Nilay Patel / @reckless : Lots and lots from Matt Mullenweg on Decoder, including some deep discussion of the...

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Quarterly Coverage

Top Sources

Narrative

Automattic has appeared in 100 tech news articles since January 2006. The biggest stories include WordPress.com owner Automattic says it will buy Tumblr from Verizon, take on ~200... and Automattic acquires Beeper, a source says for $125M, and absorbs its 27 employees; Beeper.... Frequently covered alongside WordPress, Matt Mullenweg, WordPress.com, Tumblr, and WP Engine. Coverage has shifted toward funding themes and away from enterprise, consumer.

Key Moments

2024Q3enterprise -33pts; safety +17pts; developer -33pts
2024Q4enterprise +6pts; safety -17pts; developer -17pts
2025Q1enterprise -22pts; consumer -33pts; regulation +78pts

Relationships

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