Mullenweg Reclaims Automattic CEO Seat 33 Hours After Board Vote to Oust Him

Automattic’s board briefly removed founder Matt Mullenweg as CEO this week, placing him on paid leave without stating a reason and installing CFO Mark Davies as interim chief. Mullenweg refused to go quietly: he accused directors of conspiring against him, ejected other admins from the company Slack, and declared himself back in charge. By Saturday evening the company confirmed he had returned as chairman and CEO with the board’s full support, later framing the episode as a mere 33-hour, 20-minute absence.

The standoff played out with unusual theatrics for a corporate power struggle. Mullenweg posted “I’m a pirate now” in Slack and cursed—out of character for him—while dangling a promised blog post that turned out to be about buying a houseboat. He told TechCrunch he wasn’t trolling but was “a pirate, obviously,” and noted on X that this marked roughly the fifth coup attempt he has weathered.

The board’s composition appears to remain unsettled in the aftermath. Founding CEO and current Bluesky lead Toni Schneider is reported to have stepped down, and Automattic declined to comment on specific individuals while thanking unnamed departing members. For a company that underpins a large share of the open web through WordPress, the instability at the top—and the murky rationale behind the failed ouster—raises real governance questions even as Mullenweg reasserts control.