Sources: in an internal Slack message Matt Mullenweg claims he is back in control of Automattic; on X, he says this may have been fifth coup attempt against him
Mullenweg said on September 9 that he had been placed on paid leave, with CFO Mark Davies installed as interim CEO according to the Slack messages; his subsequent assertion that he has resumed control leaves Automattic's chain of authority contested. The dispute follows a 2024 staff buyout offer that had already placed Mullenweg's relationship with employees under scrutiny.
The stakes extend beyond a conventional executive change because Mullenweg is a confirmed WordPress co-founder and Automattic operates WordPress.com. Public reaction framed his return as consequential for the WordPress project, but that assessment is opinion rather than a settled operational outcome.
First-order effects
Automattic's board must establish whether Mullenweg's claimed CEO authority supersedes the interim arrangement described in the paid-leave Slack messages.
Employees face conflicting leadership signals until Automattic formally clarifies who can make executive and operational decisions.
Second-order effects
WordPress.com customers and business partners gain a governance-risk question alongside product and service decisions: which Automattic leadership has authority to make commitments.
The conflict raises the cost of relying on informal founder authority, placing greater importance on board process and clearly delegated executive powers at Automattic.
Third-order effects
If founder-board disputes recur, companies tied to major open-source projects will face stronger pressure to separate project stewardship from contested corporate control.
The episode points toward governance structures that can preserve operational continuity when a founder's role in both a company and an ecosystem becomes disputed.
The trend: Founder-led infrastructure companies are being tested on whether board governance can operate independently of a founder's ecosystem influence.
I really need some great sysadmin and security researchers to hire really quick, no one from @automattic! I'm on the board there and fully support Mark Davies in his interim CEO role. But I think it's probably good if I move some of my stuff currently hosted there, elsewhere.
I'm relieved and pleased to see Matt Mullenweg return as CEO of Automattic, the largest financial contributor to the WordPress project. Having WordPress's Co-founder and Project Lead at the helm gives me confidence that their support will remain strong. Matt has my support.
Powering 43% of the web (including most of the sites I've written for over the past 19 years) is amazing and laudable. But it argues for proving yourself not to be a loose cannon. https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/11/ matt-mullenweg-tells-automattic-staff- in-slack-hes-back-in-cont…
Less than 48 hours after announcing he was forcibly placed on a leave of absence, Automattic's Matt Mullenweg claimed that he's back “in control” of the company. Mullenweg's Slack profile picture currently shows him wearing a pirate hat and eyepatch. www.404media.co/automattic-m…
Mullenweg has wrested control BACK, he claims — so, a very cool company with effective governance and controls, along with a sober minded leader. a compelling firm to partner and transact with — techcrunch.com/2026/09/11/m...