Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg recently made an offer to employees, giving them the opportunity to receive a generous severance package if they chose to leave the company. Initially, 159 employees accepted a six-month severance package, but a new offer was introduced on October 16. This new offer included a nine-month severance package for employees who decided to quit immediately. The catch was that employees had just four hours to make their decision.
In a Slack message shared by TechCrunch, Mullenweg mentioned that those who accepted the offer would lose access not only to Automattic but also to WordPress.org. This decision would essentially prevent them from contributing to the open-source project using their current ID, effectively banning them from the WordPress community. The news of this offer was first reported by 404 Media.
It is important to note that Mullenweg not only serves as the CEO of Automattic but also owns and controls the WordPress.org open-source site. He provided a brief window of four hours for interested employees to send him a direct message stating, “I resign and would like to take the 9-month buy-out offer.” Mullenweg assured employees that they did not need to provide a reason, and he would simply reply with a ‘Thank you.’ Those who accepted the offer could keep their office belongings and work laptop but would lose access to Automattic and WordPress.org.
The company did not provide any comments on the situation at the time of publication, leaving it unclear whether any employees accepted the new offer. With a headcount of 1,731 employees, the company’s website indicated a slight decrease from the previous count of 1,732 employees.
Mullenweg’s initial offer was targeted at individuals who did not share his perspective on Automattic’s conflict with hosting provider WP Engine. Notable figures who accepted the first severance package included top employees such as the head of WordPress.com, Daniel Bachhuber, head of programs and contributor experience Naoko Takano, Principal architect for AI Daniel Walmsley, and WordPress.org’s executive director Josepha Haden Chomphosy.
The dispute between Automattic and WP Engine began approximately a month ago when Mullenweg criticized WP Engine as “a cancer to WordPress” and accused the firm of insufficient contribution to the WordPress open-source project. This conflict escalated over time, involving legal actions like cease-and-desist letters, trademark violations, a lawsuit from WP Engine, and WordPress.org taking control of a plug-in previously maintained by WP Engine.
Recent reports from TechCrunch revealed that Automattic had been preparing to defend its trademarks through legal means, as indicated in an internal post by the company’s former chief legal officer. The involvement of both amicable and aggressive legal strategies suggested a commitment to protecting the company’s interests in the ongoing dispute.
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