Following the incident that threw the software developer into internal chaos, Automattic released an official statement over the weekend verifying Mullenweg’s complete reinstatement as head of the organisation. A company representative confirmed the development in an email to TechCrunch. Matt Mullenweg is back as the CEO of Automattic, returning to the helm of the WordPress.com parent firm two days after the company’s board of directors voted to bench him.
Rather than stepping away, Mullenweg resisted the administrative transition, the report says, adding that insiders revealed that the founder revoked administrative rights for multiple colleagues on Slack and announced to staff that past disputes had been settled and leadership remained firmly in his hands.
“Matt Mullenweg is the chairman and CEO of Automattic, with full support of the board and if you search online you can see many top executives and Automatticians supporting him as well,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying. Matt has my support,” she said. The reference to web backing pointed to an influx of supportive messages circulating on X, which Mullenweg had actively amplified through his personal profile. The corporate rift surfaced last week when Automattic’s governing board passed a measure forcing the WordPress founder onto paid leave without publicly explaining the decision. Caught off guard by the decision, Mullenweg took directly to internal Slack channels, charging board members with plotting against him. By Wednesday, Automattic verified the executive shake-up, stating that Mullenweg was officially on leave and announcing that CFO Mark Davies had taken over as acting CEO with the full backing of directors. Mary Hubbard, executive director of WordPress, shared a post on X, announcing the return. “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. Get the latest technology news and updates. Download the TOI App.