Mullenweg, co-founder of Wordpress, wrote in a company-wide Slack channel on Wednesday that board members "conspired" behind his back to vote to put him on leave.
Sources say Automattic's board is out after failed attempt to oust CEO Matt Mullenweg | TechCrunch
Given that these departed board members were those who voted to put Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence to begin with, it makes sense that a board shakeup has taken place.
Automattic's interim CEO and legal chief signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg's brief ouster | TechCrunch
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.
Automattic confirms Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted ouster by board | TechCrunch
Automattic says Mullenweg is back as "chairman and CEO of Automattic, with full support of the board."
The Texan Ideology | Fred Turner
CEOs like Musk who are moving their company headquarters from California to Texas are doing so in part to flee the inequality that their industries have produced.
Sensemaker on Twitter / X
Tim Cook is stepping down. John Ternus becomes CEO on September 1, 2026. Cook moves to executive chairman. Here's what changed today and what it means. pic.twitter.com/wYdn5itIYw— Sensemaker (@sensemaker_ai) April 20, 2026
Substack Doesn't Want You to Leave - Aaron Ross Powell
Substack's business model is unsustainable—unless they lock all their writers in.
Mastodon CEO steps down as the social network restructures | TechCrunch
Eugen Rochko is stepping down as CEO of decentralized social network Mastodon. Felix Hlatky will now become the executive director as the company becomes structured as a nonprofit government by a board.
A Disillusioned Musk, Distanced From Trump, Says He’s Exiting Washington (Published 2025)
The billionaire has made clear he is frustrated with the obstacles he encountered as he tried to upend the federal bureaucracy.
Substack Doesn't Want You to Leave - Aaron Ross Powell’s Blog
Substack's business model is unsustainable—unless they lock all their writers in.
Passing the Torch
Read the message sent to Discord employees from CEO Jason Citron sharing his decision to transition out of the role and appoint Humam Sakhnini as the company's new chief executive.
German political parties leave X, say platform “descended into chaos”
Three German left-wing parties have announced a coordinated departure from the social media platform X, saying it has descended into chaos and promotes right-wing populist content.
revolution.social with @rabble
Apple CEO Tim Cook Responds to Retirement Rumors
In an interview with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan this week, Apple's CEO Tim Cook responded to rumors about his potential retirement. Cook said the idea that he wants to step back at Apple is merely "a rumor". Cook did not explicitly confirm or deny that he will be stepping down as CEO any time soon, but he said "I can't imagine life without Apple". The full interview clip is available on YouTube below.
One resignation turned the embers of AI fear into a wildfire
Some quick notes on a truly weird week.
Elon Musk, owner of X, has called the editor of the Economist "a traitor to the West, plain and simple" after her recent interview with him. He now argues that "anyone who opposes remigration is a traitor" Musk has been socialising violence since Aug25: "fight or die, that's what it comes down to"
