Tech article
Automattic’s interim CEO and legal chief signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg’s brief ouster
Publisher description: CFO Mark Davies and legal chief Andy Missan signed each other’s severance agreements while Matt Mullenweg was on leave, providing a year of salary and additional equity vesting if their departures qualify for the benefits.
TechCrunch | Sep 16, 2026 | Sarah Perez
Automated excerpt
Last week, on September 9, Automattic’s board voted to put CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, a decision the board still hasn’t explained publicly. In the 33-hour window between Mullenweg being put on leave and his return, two key executives at the company signed off on generous exit packages for each other. Davies, who became interim CEO during that window, and Chief Legal Officer Andy Missan, each signed the other’s severance agreement, effective September 10.
Selected automatically from source text; not independently written or fact-checked. Read the original for full context.