GoKawiilMatt Mullenweg has posted a message to Automattic’s Slack, claiming he is back in control as CEO of the WordPress.com parent company, according to a screenshot of the message seen by TechCrunch, which was confirmed by multiple employee sources. The post arrives only days after Automattic’s board voted to oust Mullenweg as CEO for unknown reasons.
Automattic has been asked to confirm if Mullenweg’s statement is true, but has not yet responded to a request for comment. Mullenweg responded to our inquiry, saying a blog post is forthcoming. When it dropped, it was about him buying a houseboat.
This story is still developing.
Founder advice: If you don't have a coup attempt every few years, you're not hiring strong enough leaders. — Matt Mullenweg (@photomatt) September 11, 2026
On Wednesday, the WordPress founder and a key advocate for the open source community told his team via Slack that Automattic’s board members had “conspired” behind his back by voting to put him on a paid leave of absence. The company’s chief financial officer, Mark Davies, was made interim CEO in the process, Mullenweg said.
At the time, a spokesperson from Automattic confirmed to TechCrunch that Mullenweg was on leave and Davies was interim CEO.
Early Friday morning, Mullenweg shared the following new message on Automattic’s Slack:
“(Don’t call it a comeback…) Howdy everybody! Happy to announce the board is back in agreement, and I’m in control of Automattic. A lot happened in the past 48 hours that we need to sort out, and I hope much of it was a misunderstanding, because I have huge respect and regard for those involved.”
He also posted a link to the YouTube video for LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
As of yet, no one at Automattic has heard a confirmation from the board. Mark Davies’ Slack account was also deactivated, sources said.
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