By Tech Wire Services
Published: September 12, 2026
In one of the most astonishingly swift executive reversals in recent Silicon Valley history, Matt Mullenweg has returned to the helm of Automattic as Chief Executive Officer just 48 hours after being ousted by his own board of directors. The WordPress co-founder’s abrupt removal, temporary replacement, and subsequent reclamation of power have sent shockwaves through the tech industry, raising urgent questions about corporate governance, internal transparency, and the stability of a company that underpins a massive share of the modern internet.
The corporate drama unfolded in real time across internal Slack channels, public social media platforms, and tech journalism scoops. By the end of the week, Mullenweg was not only back in control of the parent company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, and Beeper, but he was also downplaying the insurrection with characteristic nonchalance—quipping publicly that corporate coups are simply a sign of "hiring strong enough leaders."
However, beneath the public bravado lies a tense internal landscape marked by deactivated accounts, sudden administrative purges, and unresolved questions regarding the future direction of Automattic.
Main Facts
The core of the unfolding crisis centers on a high-stakes power struggle between Mullenweg and Automattic’s board of directors, allegedly orchestrated in tandem with Chief Financial Officer Mark Davies.
According to internal communications reviewed by independent tech outlets 404 Media and TechCrunch, the board of directors convened earlier in the week and voted to place Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence. Mullenweg reportedly voted against his own suspension. Simultaneously, the board elevated CFO Mark Davies to the position of interim CEO, a move that effectively sidelined the company’s long-standing visionary and face.
The situation reversed course with dizzying speed late Thursday evening. In a fresh Slack message to employees, Mullenweg announced that the board was "back in agreement" and that he was firmly "in control of Automattic once again."
The shift in power was quickly corroborated externally. Mary Hubbard, the Executive Director of WordPress, posted a confirmation of Mullenweg’s return on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday morning—a message promptly amplified by the official WordPress account and reposted by Mullenweg himself.
Yet, the consolidation of power came with immediate internal consequences. Reports indicate that Davies’ Slack account was abruptly deactivated, and Mullenweg reportedly stripped all other administrators from Automattic’s primary Slack workspace to secure his immediate operational perimeter. Automattic, which oversees a diverse and influential portfolio of digital infrastructure and consumer tech, has yet to issue a comprehensive formal press release addressing the exact mechanics or motivations behind the brief mutiny.
Chronology of Events
The 48-hour saga moved at breakneck speed, playing out across a mix of confidential corporate messaging apps and public feeds. Here is how the timeline of the coup and counter-coup unfolded:
Wednesday, September 9: The Ouster
- Morning: Matt Mullenweg logs into Automattic’s internal Slack workspace and drops a bombshell announcement to employees. He states that CFO Mark Davies has "conspired" with the board of directors.
- The Vote: Mullenweg informs staff that the board has officially voted to place him on a paid leave of absence—noting that he cast a dissenting vote against his own suspension—and that Davies has been appointed interim CEO.
- First Media Reports: Investigative technology publication 404 Media breaks the news of Mullenweg’s removal, citing internal sources and Slack leaks. The Verge subsequently confirms with an Automattic spokesperson that Mullenweg is "currently on leave" and that Davies has assumed interim leadership.
Thursday, September 10: The Counter-Offensive
- Behind the Scenes: Negotiations, board maneuvers, and intense back-channel discussions take place throughout Thursday. Observers note that Davies reportedly maintained that Mullenweg would retain his seat on the board of directors despite losing the executive chair.
- Late Evening: Mullenweg executes a rapid turnaround, initiating administrative lockouts and communicating his return to the workforce via Slack.
Friday, September 11: Public Confirmation and Fallout
- Early Morning: Tech publications begin reporting that Mullenweg is back in control, citing new internal messaging. Davies’ company Slack account is observed to be deactivated, and Mullenweg systematically purges administrative privileges across the platform.
- Official Word: WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard publishes a post on X confirming Mullenweg’s reinstatement as CEO. The official @WordPress account shares the statement.
- Mullenweg Breaks Silence: At approximately 12:20 PM ET, Mullenweg addresses the public on X with a philosophical, if flippant, take: "If you don’t have a coup attempt every few years, you’re not hiring strong enough leaders." In a follow-up post, he adds, "I think this was my fifth."
- The Aftermath: Mullenweg publishes a characteristically eccentric personal blog post on his site (
ma.tt) titled "Major Life Announcement," which, rather than addressing the corporate crisis, discusses his offer to purchase a houseboat. Automattic declines to immediately respond to media requests for formal comment.
Supporting Data & Ecosystem Context
To understand the magnitude of this brief leadership crisis, one must examine the sheer scale and reach of Automattic within the digital landscape.
- The WordPress Empire: WordPress powers roughly 43% of all websites on the internet, spanning from small personal blogs to massive enterprise and media sites. Automattic commercializes this open-source ecosystem primarily through WordPress.com, alongside major acquisitions like WooCommerce.
- Diverse Portfolio: Beyond the publishing tools that made the company famous, Automattic owns and operates culturally and technologically significant properties, including blogging and social networking giant Tumblr and end-to-end encrypted messaging app Beeper.
- Corporate Structure: Automattic is a private company, meaning its governance decisions, board dynamics, and shareholder disputes are not subject to the same public transparency regulations as publicly traded corporations. This private structure allowed the board-level coup and its subsequent reversal to play out largely behind closed doors, save for leaks to specialized tech journalists.
- Track Record of Controversy: Mullenweg is no stranger to high-profile public disputes. In recent years, he has engaged in fierce, highly publicized feuds with competitors—most notably a protracted war of words and legal posturing with enterprise WordPress hosting company WP Engine, which cast a harsh light on his management style and control over the broader WordPress trademark and ecosystem.
Official Responses and Stakeholder Reactions
The reaction from corporate leadership has been notably muted in official channels, contrasted by Mullenweg’s public nonchalance and the swift validation from key allies within the open-source community.
- Matt Mullenweg: Aside from his Slack declarations telling employees that the board had come "back in agreement," Mullenweg chose to frame the coup as a natural byproduct of aggressive, high-level leadership. By publicly joking about his "fifth" coup attempt and pivoting attention to real estate on his personal blog, Mullenweg signaled a desire to project absolute confidence and normalcy—or to deliberately deflect from underlying systemic tensions.
- Mary Hubbard and the WordPress Foundation: By publicly confirming Mullenweg’s reinstatement on X, WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard and the official WordPress handle acted as structural anchors, assuring the broader developer and user community that the figurehead of the ecosystem was back at the wheel.
- The Board of Directors and Mark Davies: As of Friday afternoon, neither the board of directors nor the ousted interim CEO, Mark Davies, had released a public statement explaining the initial decision to remove Mullenweg or the terms of his rapid reinstatement. Davies’ sudden digital silencing—evidenced by his deactivated Slack account—suggests a clean and potentially acrimonious break, contradicting Mullenweg’s public claim that he hopes the past 48 hours were merely a "misunderstanding" born of mutual respect.
Implications for Automattic and the Open-Web Ecosystem
While Mullenweg has successfully reasserted his dominance over the company he founded nearly two decades ago, the 48-hour insurrection leaves deep scars and profound implications for Automattic’s future.
1. Governance and Board Stability
The episode exposes a deep fracture between Mullenweg and the individuals entrusted with corporate oversight. A board of directors does not vote to remove a founder and CEO on a whim; such an action requires deep frustration, likely centered on strategy, risk management, or operational conduct. For Mullenweg to simply reinstate himself and purge administrative controls raises alarming questions about true corporate checks and balances at Automattic. Can a board that attempted to depose a CEO—only to be overruled or forced into a rapid about-face days later—function effectively moving forward?
2. Employee Morale and Internal Trust
For the hundreds of engineers, writers, and support staff working across WordPress.com, Tumblr, and Beeper, the week was an exercise in extreme whiplash. Waking up to news that your founder is ousted, watching a CFO step in, and then seeing the founder execute a digital counter-coup and strip admins from Slack creates an environment of profound uncertainty. Trust in executive leadership relies on predictability and clear communication; the 48-hour chaos demonstrated that internal warfare can erupt without warning.
3. Impact on the WordPress Community
WordPress is driven by a massive global community of open-source contributors, theme developers, and agency owners. Any instability at the commercial entity steering its core infrastructure sends ripples of anxiety through the ecosystem. While Mullenweg’s return provides short-term continuity, the underlying friction between commercial imperatives, open-source governance, and visionary leadership remains entirely unresolved.
As the dust settles on what Mullenweg laughingly categorized as just another Tuesday in the life of a tech founder, the tech world is left watching closely. Automattic may have its original captain back on the bridge, but the structural storm that forced him off it for two days has by no means passed.
