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

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Media & Entertainment

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

Sarah Perez

4:25 PM PDT · September 12, 2026

After a tumultuous week that saw WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg ousted from his position as CEO of WordPress.com’s parent company Automattic by way of a board vote, the company has now issued a statement confirming that Mullenweg has returned to his position.
“Matt Mullenweg is the chairman and CEO of Automattic, with full support of the board and if you search online you can see many top executives and Automatticians supporting him as well,” a company spokesperson shared with TechCrunch via email just after 5 PM ET on Saturday evening. (The mention of online support appears to refer to supportive posts on X that Mullenweg has been reposting from his X account.)

Automattic’s board had voted earlier this week to put Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence for unknown reasons. The move seemingly came as a surprise to Mullenweg, who posted on Automattic’s Slack, accusing the board members of “conspiring” against him.
Automattic confirmed Mullenweg’s removal to TechCrunch on Wednesday, saying that Mullenweg was “currently on leave” and that Automattic’s Chief Financial Officer, Mark Davies, would lead as interim CEO with “full confidence” of the board.
However, the board’s plan did not go smoothly. Seemingly declining to depart, Mullenweg booted other admins out of the company Slack and told employees everything had been worked out and that he was back in control of Automattic, multiple sources told TechCrunch. At one point, he also posted to Slack, “I’m a pirate now” and cursed, which is something Mullenweg famously did not do. “If this is an HR problem, please wrangle me in since my normal wranglers are with Mark Davies,” he wrote.
When TechCrunch asked Mullenweg if his comments about being back as CEO were legitimate, he promised a blog post was coming. When it arrived, however, it was about him buying a houseboat. When we asked if his comments about being back were also him trolling, he replied, “I’m not a troll I’m a pirate, obviously.” Mullenweg never provided any official comment about his return, but noted on X that this was likely the fifth time he’s faced a “coup.”
Automattic also did not respond to repeated requests for comment on Friday, nor to reports we heard about board member Toni Schneider stepping down. Schneider, a founding CEO of Automattic, now leads Bluesky. He did not return requests for comment at his personal email or via requests sent to Bluesky.
We have since asked Automattic again about this and other changes to the board’s composition, which we’re hearing still may be in flux.

Topics

Automattic, matt mullenweg, Media & Entertainment, WordPress

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Sarah Perez

Consumer News Editor

Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software.

You can contact or verify outreach from Sarah by emailing sarahp@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at sarahperez.01 on Signal.

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Automattic confirmed that Matt Mullenweg has returned to the role of Chairman and CEO following an attempted ouster by the company's board. This development follows a period of internal turmoil, initiated when the board had voted to place Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence for undisclosed reasons. Mullenweg reportedly expressed dissatisfaction, accusing the board members of conspiring against him, which contributed to the situation escalating.

Automattic initially informed TechCrunch that Mullenweg was on leave, and the Chief Financial Officer, Mark Davies, would serve as interim CEO with the board's confidence. However, the process did not proceed smoothly as Mullenweg reportedly refused to depart. He asserted control of Automattic by removing other administrators from the company Slack and communicated that the matter was resolved, including making controversial statements, such as announcing, "I’m a pirate now," which is characteristic of Mullenweg's public persona, rather than acting in a traditionally reserved manner. When questioned about these comments, Mullenweg asserted he was not a troll but rather a pirate, denying malicious intent, although he noted that this was likely the fifth instance he had faced a "coup."

Automattic issued a statement confirming Mullenweg's return, asserting that he is the chairman and CEO with the full support of the board, noting that many top executives and Automatticians actively support him. The company's official communication to TechCrunch did not elaborate on the preceding conflicts or the board's actions. Furthermore, the situation involved changes in the board composition, as Toni Schneider, a founding CEO of Automattic, stepped down and subsequently focused on leading Bluesky. Automattic did not respond to repeated requests for comment regarding these events or the changes within the board's composition, leading to ongoing speculation about the status of these internal dynamics.