Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Tumblr and several other products, has begun a wave of layoffs, and insiders say more cuts are likely in the weeks ahead. In the past several days the reductions have touched the communications department, the social team, WordPress.com and the VIP enterprise division.
The firings add to a period of upheaval that began after the board’s unsuccessful attempt to remove CEO Matt Mullenweg in September. That episode led to a complete turnover of the board and the departure of several senior leaders, including the chief financial officer, an interim CFO and the chief legal officer.
Megan Fox, Automattic’s director of communications, announced her exit on LinkedIn, describing it as an “unexpected end” and noting that her position had been eliminated. TechCrunch later reported that interim CFO Jeremy Klaperman left the company earlier this month, just weeks after the board shake‑up. Mullenweg posted on X that Klaperman might have been “offended” by the decision to look outside for a permanent CFO, although internal sources said the CEO had asked him to stay.
In another incident, Mullenweg shared private details about a recently departed executive on the company’s internal Slack channel, according to screenshots seen by TechCrunch. The message referenced a health issue affecting the executive’s spouse and claimed the firm was not providing needed COBRA coverage. The executive allegedly threatened legal action, and Mullenweg added that his own fiancée was dealing with the same condition. Some employees said they were surprised to see such personal information posted publicly within the company.
Throughout the month, TechCrunch has heard from multiple sources that additional staff members, including those in marketing and product roles at WordPress.com, have been let go. When asked about the layoffs, Mullenweg told reporters that the terminations were not above the company’s normal turnover rate. Later, when questioned about the growing total, he said his focus was “mostly on PHP,” referring to a security issue he highlighted on X.
Automattic’s public About page lists the workforce at 1,397 employees, but insiders suggest the reductions will be spread out over several months in an effort to boost fourth‑quarter revenue ahead of a debt renegotiation scheduled for June. In a statement provided to TechCrunch, spokesperson Chenda Ngak said, “We’re staggering our organizational changes to be more generous with severance and allow more time with each Automattician.”