Matt Mullenweg Tells Automattic Staff He Is Back in Control
Matt Mullenweg tells Automattic staff via Slack he is back in control after interim CEO Mark Davies is ousted, while the board stays silent.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Matt Mullenweg messaged Automattic staff via Slack claiming he is back in control.
- Interim CEO Mark Davies' Slack account was reportedly deactivated.
- Sources state Mullenweg removed all Slack admins and posted cryptic messages.
- Mullenweg posted on X that things are different than they appear.
A new twist has unfolded at Automattic as founder Matt Mullenweg messaged employees early Friday morning on Slack, declaring that he has taken back control of the company following a previous boardroom dispute that forced him onto a leave of absence and installed Mark Davies as interim CEO.
Despite the bold claim, the situation remains murky as Automattic has yet to officially respond to requests for confirmation. Meanwhile, sources indicated that Mark Davies' Slack account has been deactivated amid the internal turmoil.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Prior to this announcement, sources reported that Mullenweg stripped all administrators of their privileges on the company's Slack workspace and shared an unusual post referencing a "pirate" persona along with profanity—a stark departure from his known public demeanor of avoiding curse words, leaving observers questioning whether he was trolling or executing a legitimate corporate coup.
This boardroom drama highlights the complex power struggles that can occur in tech companies between visionary founders and corporate boards. A founder attempting to reassert control through internal communication tools exposes governance friction during leadership transitions, which can destabilize employee morale and cloud the company's strategic direction.
On X (formerly Twitter), Mullenweg fueled further speculation by posting that "Things are different than they appear" and requested assistance from system administrators and security researchers to migrate his data hosted at Automattic elsewhere, despite previously voicing support for Davies. He later added another post stating, "Boards are never boring," accompanied by a laughing-crying emoji.
Source: TechCrunch
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