Key facts
- Automattic's interim CFO, Jeremy Klaperman, has departed after less than a month.
- Klaperman's exit follows a recent governance crisis that led to the replacement of the company's board.
- He previously served as CFO of Automattic's VIP Enterprise business unit.
- Klaperman replaced Mark Davies, who briefly held the CFO role after the board placed CEO Matt Mullenweg on leave.
- Automattic's new board includes Hugh Howey, Henry Khachatryan, Krutal Desai, and Amy Chan.
Jeremy Klaperman has left his role as interim chief financial officer at Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, after serving less than a month. His departure comes weeks after a significant governance crisis that resulted in the entire board being replaced.
Automattic confirmed Klaperman's exit, with director of communications Megan Fox stating the company is "grateful for Jeremy Klaperman’s leadership" and wishes him well. Before his interim role, Klaperman was the CFO of Automattic's VIP Enterprise business unit.
Klaperman had replaced Mark Davies, who briefly served as CFO following a September decision by the board to place CEO Matt Mullenweg on leave. Mullenweg quickly regained his CEO position, and the board was subsequently dissolved and reformed. Automattic's chief legal officer, Andy Missan, also departed alongside Davies, having signed severance deals during Mullenweg's brief absence.
The company announced its new board of directors in late September, which includes science-fiction author Hugh Howey, IRL app co-founders Henry Khachatryan and Krutal Desai, and author Amy Chan.
Sources told TechCrunch that Klaperman's decision to leave followed a demotion back to his original role at VIP. Automattic's spokesperson declined to comment on the specific reasons for his departure.