{
  "id": 6991875,
  "title": "Automattic's Matt Mullenweg Claims He's Back 'In Control'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/automattics-matt-mullenweg-claims-hes-back-in-control",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-12T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Slashdot",
    "slug": "slashdot",
    "url": "https://slashdot.org/story/26/09/12/1751208/automattics-matt-mullenweg-claims-hes-back-in-control"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Following a board decision to place Matt Mullenweg on leave, the Automattic CEO announced on Thursday evening that he was back in control of the company and that the board had reconciled their positions. Mullenweg's status with the company was a point of contention, with Slack screenshots obtained by 404 Media showing the founder posting \"Don't call it a comeback\" alongside a link to LL Cool J's song \"Mama Said Knock You Out\". The founder's Slack profile picture featured a pirate hat and eyepatch. In a company-wide announcement, Mullenweg expressed his hope that recent events were a misunderstanding, despite acknowledging that a lot had transpired in the past 48 hours. Automattic's CFO, Mark Davies, had his Slack account deactivated, raising questions about his role. Mullenweg hinted at a forthcoming blog post and posted a personal announcement about buying a tugboat on his website, but did not address the confusion surrounding his position at Automattic. The situation is reminiscent of previous legal battles, layoffs, and controversy surrounding Mullenweg's leadership.",
  "summary": "Less than 48 hours after Automattic's board placed Matt Mullenweg on leave, Mullenweg told employees he was back \"in control\" of the company and that the board was again in agreement. 404 Media cited Slack screenshots late Thursday evening where Mullenweg posted \"Don't call it a comeback\" and linked to LL Cool J's music video for \"Mama Said Knock You Out.\" \"Mullenweg's Slack profile picture…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "404 Media",
        "title": "Automattic’s Matt Mullenweg Claims He’s Back 'In Control'",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/automattics-matt-mullenweg-claims-hes-back-in-control",
        "published": "2026-09-11T16:33:12.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}