WordPress.com parent Automattic has confirmed that founder Matt Mullenweg is back as chairman and CEO, days after a board vote placed him on paid leave and handed interim control to Chief Financial Officer Mark Davies. The company shared the reversal with TechCrunch on Saturday evening.
The statement said Mullenweg has the “full support of the board” and pointed to supportive posts from top executives and Automattic employees online. It closes one chapter of a chaotic week, but leaves wider questions about board stability and how the company communicates under pressure.
A boardroom fight that played out in Slack
Earlier in the week, Automattic’s board voted to put Mullenweg on leave for reasons that were not disclosed. The company initially confirmed the move and said Davies would lead as interim CEO with the board’s full confidence.
That plan quickly fell apart. TechCrunch reported that Mullenweg declined to quietly step aside, removed other administrators from Automattic’s Slack, and told employees the situation had been resolved and that he was back in control. At one point he wrote, “I’m a pirate now.” He then promised a blog post about his return, but when it was published, it was about buying a houseboat.
Mullenweg gave no additional official statement on the return. On X, he suggested this was likely the fifth time he has faced a “coup.”
Why marketers should treat this as a platform risk story
This is not just internal technology news. WordPress and WordPress.com remain central to content marketing, SEO, landing pages, agency builds and small-business sites. When leadership at a foundational platform changes direction rapidly, that uncertainty can reach brand teams in subtle ways.
Governance instability can affect product road maps, community trust, partner programs and long-term pricing confidence. It can also force agencies to reassure clients that their website stack is stable.
The immediate signal is clearer: Automattic says the founder is back in charge with board support. The open questions are about board composition. TechCrunch noted reports that board member Toni Schneider, a former Automattic CEO who now leads Bluesky, may have stepped down, but those reports remained unconfirmed. Schneider did not respond to requests for comment.
What to watch next
- Official board updates: Any formal filings or announcements will show whether this reversal is durable or still in flux.
- Product and pricing moves: Sudden leadership shifts can precede changes to WordPress.com plans or partner offerings.
- Community and agency confidence: Watch how WordPress contributors, plugin developers and hosting partners respond.
- Client communication: If your team manages WordPress properties, prepare a factual internal note rather than speculating on internal drama.
For now, the practical takeaway is simple: Automattic has publicly restored its founder at the top. The longer-term question is whether trust inside the company and across the WordPress ecosystem takes more than a weekend statement to rebuild.
Source: TechCrunch
