Business · 16 September, 2026 · 3 min read
Automattic Board Puts CEO Matt Mullenweg on Paid Leave, Then Restores Control
Automattic board voted to place Matt Mullenweg on paid leave amid a leadership dispute. Mark Davies served as interim CEO during the leave before Mullenweg’s reinstatement.
Automattic confirms Mullenweg is back vs reporting only a Slack claim.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: mullenweg reportedly removed all Slack admins during the dispute.
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Same story, two versions
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TechCrunch
““Matt Mullenweg is the chairman and CEO of Automattic, with full support of the board””Read the original ↗
One outlet treats the return as confirmed, another treats it as unverified.
Leave of Absence
Automattic’s board placed WordPress co-founder and Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg on paid leave, and 404 Media reported that Mullenweg wrote in a company-wide Slack message that board members "conspired" behind his back to vote to put him on leave. Less than 48 hours later, 404 Media said Mullenweg posted in a company-wide Slack channel that he was back “in control” of the company, and TechCrunch first reported the comments in Automattic’s Announcements channel. TIn that Slack message, Mullenweg wrote, "Happy to announce the board is back in agreement, and I'm in control of Automattic," and 404 Media reported that Mark Davies, the CFO named as interim CEO, had his Slack account deactivated as of at least Friday.
Automattic’s leadership dispute unfolded alongside a legal fight involving WP Engine, with 404 Media noting that the company and Mullenweg were engaged in litigation with WP Engine over trademark and open-source contributions. By Friday morning, 404 Media said Mullenweg published a blog post titled “Major Life Announcement,” in which he announced he’s buying a tugboat.
Board Support Returns
Automattic later confirmed Mullenweg’s return as CEO, and Cadena 3 Argentina reported that a spokesperson told TechCrunch that Mullenweg is "the president and CEO of Automattic, with the full support of the board."T
CMSWire also reported that Automattic’s Sept. 12 statement said, "Matt Mullenweg is the chairman and CEO of Automattic, with full support of the board," after an interim CEO had been named just two days earlier.
The dispute began when the board voted to put Mullenweg on leave and name CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO, and 404 Media said the board hadn’t communicated anything to employees beyond what it posted in Slack on Wednesday.
404 Media reported that Mullenweg accused the board of conspiring against him in his Wednesday Slack message, while TechCrunch and 404 Media said Davies’s Slack account was deactivated as of at least Friday.T
In a separate account of the episode, Pulse 2.0 quoted WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard saying, "Matt has my support," as she publicly confirmed Mullenweg’s reinstatement.
What’s at Stake Next
The leadership whiplash comes as Automattic remains entangled in its dispute with WP Engine, and Columna Digital said Mullenweg and Automattic are engaged in litigation with WP Engine over trademark infringement and alleged failure to contribute adequately to the open-source effort. Columna Digital further reported that WP Engine alleged that Mullenweg destroyed evidence related to the case in messaging applications, and it said Automattic is expected to make an internal announcement about the new board composition. Search Engine Journal said the ouster came as Automattic faced a lawsuit from WP Engine and a motion for sanctions that accuses Mullenweg of destroying or failing to preserve evidence.
In response to the sanctions-related reporting, Search Engine Journal quoted Mullenweg tweeting, "I WRITE CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS TO SAVE EVERYTHING," and it also quoted him saying, "I really need some great sysadmin and security researchers to hire really quick, no one from @automattic!" With Automattic’s leadership contested and its board composition unclear in multiple accounts, Search Engine Journal said the week ends with WordPress leadership and direction asserted as unchanged by Mary Hubbard, who wrote, "Matt continues to lead our project, and I remain Executive Director."