In an authoritative intelligence dispatch verified through TechCrunch, significant international developments have emerged regarding Automattic’s interim CEO and legal chief signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg’s brief ouster. Observers across key diplomatic, corporate, and policy corridors are actively parsing the immediate impact, as corroborated by verified wire filings. 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. Disrupt 2026: OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, and more take over 6 industry stages. 25% off tickets now TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIAppsDisrupt 2026 EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest Automattic’s interim CEO and legal chief signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg’s brief ouster Sarah Perez 12:35 PM PDT · September 16, 2026 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. Mullenweg, in a company-wide Slack message, accused CFO Mark Davies of “conspiring” with three board members behind his back to force the vote through, saying he was given only 50 minutes’ notice and was denied time to have the resolution reviewed by outside legal counsel. He returned to the role roughly 33 hours later, and the same board members who voted him out have since departed the company themselves. 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. These agreements, effectively golden parachutes, provide each of them with 12 months of base salary paid out as a lump sum, an accelerated vesting schedule for their equity, the ability to exercise their vested stock options, and another year of health coverage, according to the severance documents reviewed by TechCrunch. Between the two of them, the full package — accelerated equity plus a year of salary — comes out to $8.15 million that Automattic would now owe both executives, since Mullenweg fired them upon his return. Automattic’s legal team is working to determine what the next steps are: pay out these sums or fight them by challenging their legal validity. (The company replaced its earlier counsel, Gibson Dunn, with Stephen Shackelford and Shawn J. Rabin of Susman Godfrey LLP, the company and Mullenweg jointly announced on Wednesday. Automattic’s General Counsel, Jordan Hinkes, also had his company account deactivated, sources tell us, suggesting he is gone as well.) Under the agreements, the executives only get their benefits if they sign a broad release of claims and continue to comply with confidentiality, nonsolicitation, and other legally binding post-employment restrictions.
The underlying catalysts behind these events trace back to evolving structural dynamics across the Tech & AI landscape. Over recent quarters, multilateral authorities and market participants have navigated mounting volatility, heightening the urgency of coordinated responses and policy alignment.
Senior analysts and industry stakeholders underscore that strategic transparency remains paramount. As institutional delegations evaluate risk models and operational contingencies, secondary dispatches indicate that further compliance directives and consultative reviews will be initiated in the coming cycle.
Broader economic and regulatory ramifications are projected to ripple across interconnected regional ecosystems. Market analysts note that supply chains, capital allocations, and policy frameworks must swiftly assimilate these verified updates to insulate against systemic bottlenecks.
The Global Post's editorial desk will continue rigorous monitoring of this developing story, with periodic updates provided as official statements and primary documentation are released by relevant governing bodies.
