Automattic confirms Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted ouster by board

Automattic confirmed that Matt Mullenweg has returned as chairman and CEO after its board voted earlier in the week to put him on paid leave and install CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO. The attempted leadership change reportedly unraveled after Mullenweg resisted the move, removed other admins from company Slack, and told employees he was back in control.

The episode points to a serious governance crisis inside Automattic, a key company in the WordPress ecosystem. The rapid reversal may reassure Mullenweg supporters, but the public nature of the conflict could raise concerns among employees, customers, and open-source stakeholders about stability and succession planning.