Matt Mullenweg announced his reinstatement as CEO of Automattic following a brief period of paid leave that lasted approximately 48 hours. Earlier in the week, Mullenweg had informed staff via Slack that the board of directors voted to place him on paid leave, with Mullenweg himself voting against the measure. Simultaneously, the board designated CFO Mark Davies to serve as interim chief executive while Mullenweg was on leave.
In a message communicated to TechCrunch, Mullenweg stated that the board had reached new agreement on his status and that he was resuming control of the company. He noted that significant developments had occurred during the preceding two days and expressed hope that much of the situation resulted from misunderstandings. He also indicated maintaining respect for those involved in the decision. According to reports, Davies’ Slack account was deactivated following Mullenweg’s return to the CEO position, and Mullenweg removed administrative access from Automattic’s Slack workspace.
WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard publicly confirmed Mullenweg’s return to the CEO role on Friday through a post on X, which was subsequently shared by the official WordPress account. Automattic operates several prominent digital platforms and services, including WordPress.com, Tumblr, and Beeper. The company did not provide immediate comment regarding the leadership transition to media outlets seeking clarification on the situation.
On Friday, Mullenweg posted comments on X characterizing the events as a leadership challenge, referencing his experience with similar situations. He also announced a separate personal development involving a residential property acquisition.
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