Mullenweg claims he's back in control at Automattic after board ouster

Matt Mullenweg has posted a message to Automattic’s Slack claiming he is back in control as CEO of the WordPress.com parent company, according to a screenshot seen by TechCrunch and confirmed by multiple employee sources. The post came only days after Automattic’s board voted to oust Mullenweg as CEO for unknown reasons. Automattic has been asked to confirm whether Mullenweg’s statement is true but had not responded to repeated requests for comment; Mullenweg told TechCrunch a blog post was forthcoming, which turned out to be about him buying a houseboat.

On Friday afternoon, Mary Hubbard, executive director of WordPress.org, wrote on X that she was “relieved and pleased to see Matt Mullenweg return as CEO of Automattic.” On Wednesday, Mullenweg had told his team via Slack that board members had “conspired” behind his back by voting to put him on a paid leave of absence, with chief financial officer Mark Davies made interim CEO. A spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch at the time that Mullenweg was on leave and Davies was interim CEO.

Early Friday morning, Mullenweg posted a new message on Automattic’s Slack: “(Don’t call it a comeback…) Howdy everybody! Happy to announce the board is back in agreement, and I’m in control of Automattic. A lot happened in the past 48 hours that we need to sort out, and I hope much of it was a misunderstanding, because I have huge respect and regard for those involved.” He also linked to the YouTube video for LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.”

As of writing, no one at Automattic had heard confirmation from the board, and Davies’ Slack account had been deactivated, sources said. TechCrunch also heard that Mullenweg had removed all Slack admins from the company Slack and posted about being a “pirate,” cursing in the process — something he famously does not do. Asked by TechCrunch whether he was trolling, Mullenweg replied, “I’m not a troll I’m a pirate, obviously.”

Since his surprise removal, Mullenweg’s public and private posts have suggested he isn’t done fighting the decision. On Reddit, he told those speculating about the situation they didn’t know what they were talking about. On X, he wrote “Things are different than they appear” and said he needed sysadmins and security researchers to help move some of his stuff hosted at Automattic elsewhere, even while saying he supported Davies as CEO. In both places, he suggested Silver Lake — the private equity firm that is majority owner of hosting company WP Engine, currently embroiled in a lawsuit with Mullenweg and Automattic — was involved in a plan to “destroy” his life. On Friday morning, he posted on X, “Boards are never boring,” with a laughing/crying emoji.

Why it matters

The public, contradictory signals from Mullenweg and Automattic’s silence leave WordPress’s governance and Automattic’s leadership structure unresolved for a company that underpins a large share of the web.