According to TechCrunch, Matt Mullenweg posted a Slack message to Automattic staff claiming he is back in control as CEO days after the board voted him out. Automattic has not officially confirmed whether any of this is true.
On Wednesday, Mullenweg told his team the board had voted to put him on paid leave while CFO Mark Davies became interim CEO. By Friday morning, Mullenweg was posting his return announcement with an LL Cool J video link.
TechCrunch reported that Mullenweg had removed all Slack admins and made a post about being a "pirate," complete with profanity. When asked if he was trolling, his response was vague: "I'm not a troll I'm a pirate, obviously."
No one at the company has heard board confirmation of Mullenweg's return. Mark Davies's Slack account was deactivated, but the meaning is unclear. Employees are trying to determine who their actual boss is based on cryptic Slack posts and YouTube video links.
Mullenweg built WordPress into a major component of web infrastructure, and Automattic affects millions of sites globally. A founder and board in conflict, unexplained ousters, leadership changes, and cryptic messages create the appearance of serious instability. WordPress Foundation Executive Director Mary Hubbard posted on X that she was "relieved and pleased" to see Mullenweg return. Until Automattic's board or the company itself confirms what has happened, the actual state of leadership remains unclear.
