Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted board ouster

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has reportedly returned to his position two days after being placed on a paid leave of absence. According to a Slack message seen by TechCrunch, Mullenweg confirmed his reinstatement as CEO of the company. The news was also confirmed by WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard, who shared the information on X and Mullenweg reposted it.

Mullenweg had previously informed staff that CFO Mark Davies and the board of directors had conspired to place him on paid leave of absence. He also stated that the board had voted for Davies to become the interim CEO. Davies responded to the situation by stating that Mullenweg would still be a board member. An Automattic spokesperson confirmed the interim appointment of Davies.

However, Mullenweg's message to staff indicated that the board was now "back in agreement" and that he was "in control of Automattic." He expressed his hope that much of the recent events were misunderstandings, as he has a high regard for those involved. The Verge reported that Mullenweg deactivated Davies' Slack account and removed all other admins from Automattic's Slack.

404 Media reported on Mullenweg's posts about his apparent return, stating that he made the posts "late Thursday evening." Mullenweg also expressed his thoughts on Twitter, making light of the situation by stating that "If you don’t have a coup attempt every few years, you’re not hiring strong enough leaders," and that this incident was his fifth. He even published a blog post titled "Major Life Announcement" regarding an offer to buy a houseboat.

On September 11th, additional updates were provided, including a report from 404 Media and a post from WordPress' Executive Director.