Mullenweg claims he's back in control of Automattic after CEO ouster

Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg posted a message to the company's Slack early Friday morning claiming he is once again in control as CEO of the WordPress.com parent company. Two sources confirmed the message to TechCrunch, though Automattic itself has not yet responded to a request to verify the claim.

The announcement comes just days after Automattic's board voted to remove Mullenweg from the CEO role for reasons that remain unknown, placing him on paid leave. Chief Financial Officer Mark Davies was named interim CEO during that period, a move an Automattic spokesperson confirmed at the time.

Confusion continues

In his latest Slack message, Mullenweg wrote that much of what happened over the past 48 hours was likely a misunderstanding and that he holds great respect for everyone involved. He included a link to the YouTube video for LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out." Still, no one at Automattic has yet received confirmation from the board itself, and sources say Davies' Slack account has since been deactivated.

Adding to the confusion, Mullenweg reportedly removed all Slack administrators the previous day and posted an unusual, profanity-laden message describing himself as a "pirate" — notable because he is known for not swearing. That has left staff unsure whether he is trolling or genuinely reasserting control.

Since his surprise removal, Mullenweg has signaled on social media that he does not intend to accept the decision quietly. On Reddit and X, he said things were not as they appeared and asked for help from sysadmins and security researchers to move his personal data off Automattic's servers. He also suggested that Silver Lake, the private equity firm that holds a majority stake in hosting company WP Engine — currently locked in litigation with Automattic and Mullenweg — may be involved in efforts against him.