The boss of the firm that runs WordPress.com has informed his staff that he has resumed control as chief executive. Matt Mullenweg did so via a Slack note that sounds more like a pirate’s jest than an official corporate announcement.
On Friday afternoon, the sender stated that the board is “back in agreement”, and that Mullenweg is “in control of Automattic.”. The sender also shared a link to LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.”.
The announcement comes only days after Automattic’s board voted to oust Mullenweg as CEO for unknown reasons. That vote put him on a paid leave of absence and named Mark Davies, the company’s chief financial officer, as interim CEO.
The Slack Message
Mullenweg’s message opens with a line that sounds like a comeback anthem: “(Don’t call it a comeback…) Howdy everybody!” He follows with the board-agreement claim and his hope that the recent turmoil was a misunderstanding.
The post included a link to the YouTube video for LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out.”, and it also asked whether the board has confirmed anything. At the time of writing, no one at Automattic had received a confirmation from the board.
The Pirate Post
Yesterday, TechCrunch learned that Mullenweg took away all admin rights on the Automattic Slack, then posted something odd about being a “pirate”, including language he rarely uses. He is known for not using such words at all.
Mullenweg responded to a question about whether he was trolling on Slack with “I’m not a troll I’m a pirate, obviously.”.
The Board Vote
The board’s decision to remove Mullenweg came Wednesday. He told his team via Slack that Automattic’s board members had “conspired” behind his back by voting to put him on a paid leave of absence.
TechCrunch has confirmation from a representative at Automattic that Mullenweg is currently taking time off and that Davies is serving as interim CEO during that period.
On Friday afternoon, Mary Hubbard, who runs WordPress.org, posted on X to say she was “relieved and pleased to see Matt Mullenweg return as CEO of Automattic.”.
Mullenweg’s Reaction
After his surprise removal as CEO, Mullenweg’s public and private social media posts suggested he wasn’t done fighting the decision. On Reddit, he told those speculating what this meant for the open source community that they didn’t know what they were talking about.
The very first response he gave to a Reddit post pointing to the 404 Media article that first reported the story was brief: “Hey y’all. I’m here, just fine.”
Mullenweg posted on X that he was looking for sysadmins and security researchers to help him move some of his stuff hosted at Automattic elsewhere. He backed Davies as CEO, and also noted that “Things are different than they appear”.
He pointed to Silver Lake, the private equity firm that controls the majority stake in WP Engine, the hosting company, as the entity behind a plan to “destroy” his life. In both instances, he raised the question of whether the PE firm played a role in the scheme. The dispute between Mullenweg and Automattic has not yet reached a resolution.
Mullenweg published a post on X on Friday morning, “Boards are never boring,” then added a laughing/crying emoji to it.
What We Know So Far
- Mullenweg claims the board is back in agreement and he is in control of Automattic.
- The board voted to oust him as CEO for unknown reasons.
- Mark Davies is the current interim CEO.
- Mary Hubbard, Executive Director of WordPress.org, welcomed Mullenweg’s return.
- Mullenweg removed all Slack admins and made a pirate post.
- The board has not confirmed anything publicly.
- Mullenweg’s account of the board’s actions is that they “conspired” behind his back.
The Open Source Question
Speculation about him has been circulating within the open source community, which has been following it closely. He responded to one such piece on Reddit in a way that came across as dismissive of the speculation. He also posted on X, where his words indicated he felt personally attacked by some of the attention. Now, a pirate post suggests he is treating the whole situation with genuine seriousness rather than indifference.
But the question remains: is he back in control?
A Matter of Understanding
The message from Mullenweg carries a hopeful note. He writes that he hopes the past 48 hours were a mistake, a simple mix-up rather than anything more serious. He says he has “huge respect and regard for those involved.”, a record of his own actions, which he points to as proof of his intentions.
It’s hard to tell from afar whether it comes from true belief or from a calculated move. One thing is certain: nothing has been settled yet.
No confirmation from the board has come yet. Mullenweg has taken down admins and put up a post about being a pirate.
The Verdict on the Comeback
The return to prominence is genuine, yet the nature of the return differs from what you would typically hear from a chief executive. Rather than a formal statement, it comes with a meme attached, a pirate reference, and a desire that the entire incident was merely a case of mistaken identity.
Mullenweg says he has regained control. The board, however, has not confirmed this.
Confirmation from Automattic on whether Mullenweg’s statement is accurate remains outstanding. The company has not answered repeated requests for comment. Mullenweg himself responded to our inquiry, saying a blog post is coming. That post arrived, and it turned out to be about him purchasing a houseboat.
He did not make a comeback with the houseboat post. Instead, it was a simple post about him buying a houseboat.
It’s difficult to tell what’s going on. He could be trolling, or real changes might have taken place. The source leaves room for doubt on both counts.
Mullenweg is making his presence felt again, and he is doing so without any retreat. He is letting everyone know he is back, and he is framing the whole thing with a distinctly personal edge.
There is still no resolution to the dispute between Mullenweg and Automattic. Silver Lake continues to hold a controlling interest in WP Engine. The reason behind the board’s vote has yet to be made clear.
Matt Mullenweg has made it clear that he is once again running Automattic. He is relaying that news to his staff himself, in a note that blends jokes, resistance, and the hope that everyone simply misunderstood the situation.
The board has yet to confirm whether that is true or not. Until it does so, the comeback stays unverified.
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