The Wild Corporate Coup at Automattic: How Matt Mullenweg Retook the Reins of WordPress’s Parent Company

The corporate landscape of the open-source web was rocked by a high-stakes power struggle last week, culminating in a dramatic reversal that saw WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg reinstated as the Chief Executive Officer of Automattic. The dramatic sequence of events—marked by a sudden board-mandated leave of absence, accusations of executive conspiracy, a defiant internal digital mutiny, and an eccentric pivot to purchasing a houseboat—has left tech industry watchers questioning the governance structures of major internet infrastructure companies.

Following a tumultuous week that initially saw Mullenweg abruptly forced out of his executive role by a board vote, Automattic issued an official statement confirming his return to the helm. The abrupt shift underscores the volatile nature of leadership dynamics within private technology corporations, particularly those balancing the ethos of open-source communities with traditional corporate board governance.

The Return to Power and Official Stance

The resolution of the week’s chaos materialized late Saturday evening when an Automattic spokesperson emailed a definitive clarification to industry media outlets.

"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 company spokesperson stated.

The reference to online backing pointed directly to social media platforms, specifically X (formerly Twitter), where Mullenweg actively reposted expressions of loyalty and solidarity from employees and high-ranking corporate figures. This public display of alignment served as an external counterweight to the internal turbulence that had gripped the company just days prior.

The reinstatement effectively cuts short the interim leadership of Automattic’s Chief Financial Officer, Mark Davies, who had been handpicked by the board to steer the company through what was initially framed as an indefinite administrative pause for the founder.

A Chronology of Chaos: The Timeline of the Ouster

The extraordinary saga began earlier in the week when Automattic’s board of directors executed a surprising maneuver, voting to place Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence. The board’s official rationale for the suspension remained opaque, fueling widespread speculation within the tech sector.

The move caught Mullenweg entirely off guard. Rather than quietly accepting the board’s decision, the WordPress creator took to Automattic’s internal Slack channels to push back against the directive. In open messages to the company workforce, Mullenweg explicitly accused fellow board members of "conspiring" against him.

By Wednesday, Automattic officially confirmed the executive shuffle to reporters, announcing that Mullenweg was "currently on leave" and that CFO Mark Davies had assumed the role of interim CEO, possessing the "full confidence" of the board.

However, the board’s transition plan immediately collided with immovable resistance. Rather than departing the premises or relinquishing digital access, Mullenweg reportedly dug in his heels. In a defiant counter-offensive, he stripped other system administrators of their privileges within the company’s Slack workspace, locking them out of the primary communication channel. He subsequently broadcasted messages to the broader Automattic staff insisting that the situation had been resolved and that he was back in operational control of the enterprise.

Internal Defiance and the "Pirate" Persona

As the internal messaging channels became a battleground for corporate control, Mullenweg’s communication style took a distinctly unconventional turn—one that starkly contrasted with his usual measured, executive demeanor. Known historically for maintaining a disciplined and professional public profile, Mullenweg leaned into eccentric metaphors as the crisis unfolded.

In one widely circulated Slack message reported by insiders, Mullenweg declared, "I’m a pirate now," punctuating the statement with profanity—a sharp departure from his standard communication habits. Addressing the chaotic administrative lockout, he wrote, "If this is an HR problem, please wrangle me in since my normal wranglers are with Mark Davies."

When pressed by journalists to verify whether his claims of resuming the CEO role were legally and operationally legitimate, Mullenweg teased an imminent explanatory blog post. When that post finally went live on his personal site, however, it contained no corporate post-mortems or governance updates, but instead detailed his recent purchase of a houseboat.

When questioned about whether his public statements and erratic messaging were deliberate attempts to troll the media and the board, Mullenweg offered a characteristic retort: "I’m not a troll, I’m a pirate, obviously."

Despite never issuing a conventional corporate press release regarding his return, Mullenweg contextualized the ordeal on X by noting that this particular power struggle was likely the fifth time in his career that he had successfully weathered a "coup" attempt against his leadership.

Boardroom Shuffling and the Silence of Key Players

Beyond the immediate battle between Mullenweg and the board, the governance structure of Automattic appeared to suffer collateral damage. Throughout the week, reports emerged regarding the status of board member Toni Schneider, with rumors circulating that the prominent executive had stepped down from his position.

Schneider holds a significant place in the broader tech ecosystem. As a founding CEO of Automattic, his historical ties to the company run deep. Furthermore, Schneider currently serves as the interim CEO of Bluesky, the decentralized social media platform gaining traction as an alternative to X.

Media inquiries sent to Schneider’s personal email address and through official channels at Bluesky went unanswered. Automattic similarly maintained silence regarding inquiries concerning Schneider’s board status, leaving industry observers to speculate on whether the composition of the board remains fundamentally altered or continues to be in a state of flux.

Broader Implications for Open-Source Governance

The dramatic week at Automattic highlights a persistent tension at the heart of modern software development: the friction between venture-backed corporate governance and the charismatic, founder-centric models common in open-source ecosystems.

Automattic is not a typical software company. As the commercial powerhouse behind WordPress.com, WooCommerce, and major contributions to the self-hosted WordPress core software—which collectively powers over 40% of the top 10 million websites on the internet—its stability is critical to the global web infrastructure. When governance structures break down at the top of such an organization, the ripple effects are felt across millions of developers, agencies, and publishers who rely on the ecosystem.

The board’s initial attempt to sideline Mullenweg suggests a profound misalignment between the fiduciary managers of the corporation and its visionary founder. Yet, Mullenweg’s swift ability to rally internal employee support, leverage public platforms, and retake operational control demonstrates the immense concentration of personal authority he holds within the company he founded in 2005.

As Automattic moves past this tumultuous episode and confirms Mullenweg’s undisputed status as chairman and CEO, questions regarding board oversight, corporate transparency, and the long-term stability of the company’s governance framework remain prominent. For now, the WordPress creator has weathered his latest corporate storm, trading his boardroom chair temporarily for a metaphorical pirate’s hat—and a new houseboat—before steering Automattic back onto its established course.