Automattic Interim CFO Leaves After Less Than a Month
Automattic’s interim chief financial officer, Jeremy Klaperman, has left his position after less than a month on the job. His departure comes just weeks after a governance crisis at the WordPress.com parent company that saw its entire board either quit or be fired.
The company confirmed the exit with a statement shared by Automattic’s director of communications, Megan Fox: “Automattic will always be grateful for Jeremy Klaperman’s leadership. We wish him the best of luck on his next endeavor.”
Before stepping into the interim finance chief role, Klaperman served as CFO of Automattic’s VIP Enterprise business unit.
The Boardroom Shakeup Behind the Departure
Klaperman was elevated to interim CFO last month following a dramatic sequence of events. He was meant to replace former CFO Mark Davies, who had briefly become Automattic’s CFO after the company’s board members voted to put CEO Matt Mullenweg on leave in September.
Within 33 hours of the board’s decision, Mullenweg retook the CEO role, and the board was wiped clean.
Automattic’s chief legal officer, Andy Missan, also left the company alongside Davies. Both executives had signed reciprocal severance deals during Mullenweg’s short leave of absence, TechCrunch previously reported.
Who Is on Automattic’s New Board?
Automattic’s new board of directors was announced in late September. It includes:
Hugh Howey, best-selling science-fiction author
Henry Khachatryan, co-founder of the now-defunct social app IRL
Krutal Desai, also a co-founder of IRL
Amy Chan, author
Why Klaperman Reportedly Walked Away
A source at Automattic told TechCrunch that Klaperman was upset the board was considering external candidates for the CFO role. Though he was announced internally as interim CFO, the board never legally approved his title, according to the source.
There was also a disagreement with Mullenweg over a work project related to employee performance reviews. That conflict led to Mullenweg demoting Klaperman back to his former position at VIP, the source said. Klaperman resigned shortly thereafter.
Automattic’s spokesperson did not comment on the reason for Klaperman’s departure.
What Comes Next for Automattic’s Finance Team
The company is still performing an external search for a qualified CFO candidate, we understand.
When Mullenweg originally announced Klaperman’s new role as interim CFO on Automattic’s Slack, he reiterated that he had “100% confidence” in the company’s cash and financial position.
The swift turnover in the finance seat adds another layer of uncertainty to a company still stabilizing after an extraordinary boardroom fight. For now, Automattic’s CFO position remains filled on an interim basis only, with no permanent successor announced.
