Short Notice, Big Decisions: Automattic’s Severance Offer Explained
**Automattic Offers New Severance Package Amid Employee Departures**
In a surprising turn of events, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg announced a new severance package on october 16, just days after 159 employees accepted an earlier offer of a six-month severance. The latest proposal grants a nine-month severance to any employee willing to resign immediately, but comes with significant caveats.
Employees were given a mere four hours to decide on the new offer. Mullenweg communicated the terms via a Slack message, stating that those who accepted would lose not only their positions at Automattic but also access to WordPress.org, effectively barring them from contributing to the open-source project under their existing credentials. This restriction also implies a de facto exclusion from the broader WordPress community, which Mullenweg oversees in his capacity as both CEO of Automattic and owner of WordPress.org.
In his message, Mullenweg instructed employees interested in the severance package to directly message him with a simple resignation note. “You don’t have to say any reason or anything else. I will reply ‘Thank you,’” he stated, adding that employees would be allowed to retain their office equipment and work laptops, but would lose all access to company resources.
Mullenweg acknowledged that some employees may have regretted missing the initial severance window, hence the quick rollout of this new opportunity. As of the latest update, Automattic’s employee count stands at 1,731, a slight decrease from 1,732 earlier that day. It remains unclear how many employees, if any, opted for the latest offer, as Automattic had not commented on the situation by the time of publication.
The swift and unilateral nature of these severance offers raises questions about employee morale and the future dynamics within the company, as well as the ongoing health of the WordPress ecosystem.
In a surprising turn of events, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg announced a new severance package on october 16, just days after 159 employees accepted an earlier offer of a six-month severance. The latest proposal grants a nine-month severance to any employee willing to resign immediately, but comes with significant caveats.
Employees were given a mere four hours to decide on the new offer. Mullenweg communicated the terms via a Slack message, stating that those who accepted would lose not only their positions at Automattic but also access to WordPress.org, effectively barring them from contributing to the open-source project under their existing credentials. This restriction also implies a de facto exclusion from the broader WordPress community, which Mullenweg oversees in his capacity as both CEO of Automattic and owner of WordPress.org.
In his message, Mullenweg instructed employees interested in the severance package to directly message him with a simple resignation note. “You don’t have to say any reason or anything else. I will reply ‘Thank you,’” he stated, adding that employees would be allowed to retain their office equipment and work laptops, but would lose all access to company resources.
Mullenweg acknowledged that some employees may have regretted missing the initial severance window, hence the quick rollout of this new opportunity. As of the latest update, Automattic’s employee count stands at 1,731, a slight decrease from 1,732 earlier that day. It remains unclear how many employees, if any, opted for the latest offer, as Automattic had not commented on the situation by the time of publication.
The swift and unilateral nature of these severance offers raises questions about employee morale and the future dynamics within the company, as well as the ongoing health of the WordPress ecosystem.