Automattic confirms Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted ouster by board

After a tumultuous week, which saw WordPress laminitis Matt Mullenweg ousted from his presumption arsenic CEO of Automattic, WordPress.com’s genitor company, by mode of a committee vote, the institution has present issued a connection confirming that Mullenweg has returned to his position.

“Matt Mullenweg is the president and CEO of Automattic, with afloat enactment of the committee and if you hunt online you tin spot galore apical executives and Automatticians supporting him arsenic well,” a institution spokesperson shared with TechCrunch via email conscionable aft 5 PM ET connected Saturday evening. (The notation of online enactment appears to notation to supportive posts connected X that Mullenweg has been reposting from his X account.)

Automattic’s committee had voted earlier this week to put Mullenweg connected a paid permission of absence for chartless reasons. The determination seemingly came arsenic a astonishment to Mullenweg, who posted connected Automattic’s Slack, accusing the committee members of “conspiring” against him.

Automattic confirmed Mullenweg’s removal to TechCrunch connected Wednesday, saying that Mullenweg was “currently connected leave” and that Automattic’s Chief Financial Officer, Mark Davies, would pb arsenic interim CEO with “full confidence” of the board.

However, the board’s program did not spell smoothly. Seemingly declining to depart, Mullenweg booted different admins retired of the institution Slack and told employees everything had been worked retired and that helium was backmost successful power of Automattic, aggregate sources told TechCrunch. At 1 point, helium besides posted to Slack, “I’m a pirate now” and cursed, which is thing Mullenweg famously did not do. “If this is an HR problem, delight wrangle maine successful since my mean wranglers are with Mark Davies,” helium wrote.

When TechCrunch asked Mullenweg if his comments astir being backmost arsenic CEO were legitimate, helium promised a blog station was coming. When it arrived, however, it was astir him buying a houseboat. When we asked if his comments astir being backmost were besides him trolling, helium replied, “I’m not a troll I’m a pirate, obviously.” Mullenweg ne'er provided immoderate authoritative remark astir his return, but noted connected X that this was apt the 5th clip he’s faced a “coup.”

Automattic besides did not respond to repeated requests for remark connected Friday, nor to reports we heard astir committee subordinate Toni Schneider stepping down. Schneider, a founding CEO of Automattic, now leads Bluesky. He did not instrumentality requests for remark astatine his idiosyncratic email oregon via requests sent to Bluesky.

We person since asked Automattic again astir this and different changes to the board’s composition, which we’re proceeding inactive whitethorn beryllium successful flux.