Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg claimed he is once again "in control" of the company just two days after being placed on a forced leave of absence by the board. He made this announcement in an internal Slack channel, citing misunderstandings and respect for those involved despite recent conflicts. Meanwhile, Mark Davies, who was set to act as interim CEO, had his Slack access deactivated. Mullenweg’s sudden return to leadership amid turmoil highlights ongoing issues within Automattic regarding management stability and employee relations.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In the past two years, workers at Automattic described chaotic leadership from CEO Matt Mullenweg, including layoffs, loyalty checks, rage-quitting of community projects, and attempts to track leaking employees. Just days after being placed on a leave of absence by the board, Mullenweg claimed back control via Slack, saying he is "in control" of Automattic. He deactivated CFO Mark Davies' Slack account who was set to be interim CEO. The company has not responded to inquiries about these developments.
Written for “Matt Mullenweg Regains Control” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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Leaning score -0.30 for article 8259 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-12
Less than 48 hours after announcing he was forcibly placed on a leave of absence by the Automattic board on Wednesday, Automattic’s Matt Mullenweg posted in a company-wide Slack channel claiming that he’s back “in control” of the company.
asserted
he → announce → company
According to Slack screenshots viewed by 404 Media, late Thursday evening Mullenweg posted “Don’t call it a comeback” and linked to LL Cool J’s music video for “Mama Said Knock You Out.”
uncertain
Mama → accord → You
Mullenweg’s Slack profile picture currently shows him wearing a pirate hat and eyepatch.
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him → show → hat
TechCrunch first reported Mullenweg’s comments about being back in control.
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TechCrunch → report → control
“Happy to announce the board is back in agreement, and I'm in control of Automattic,” Mullenweg wrote in the company-wide Announcements channel on Slack.
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Mullenweg → announce → Slack
“A lot happened in the past 48 hours that we need to sort out, and I hope much of it was a misunderstanding, because I have huge respect and regard for those involved.”
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I → happen → those
Mark Davies, Automattic’s CFO who was set to act as interim CEO according to a statement from Automattic, had his Slack account deactivated as of at least Friday, sources told 404 Media and TechCrunch similarly reported.
uncertain
Media → set → Friday
Davies, Mullenweg, and Automattic did not respond to 404 Media’s requests for comment for this story.
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Davies → respond → story
Techcrunch reported that Mullenweg told them a blog post is forthcoming.
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post → report → them
On Friday morning, Mullenweg published a blog post on his personal website, titled “Major Life Announcement.”
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Mullenweg → publish → website
In it he announced he’s buying a tugboat.
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he → announce → tugboat
“Anybody who’s founded a company and had to find good stewards knows that no one will love a thing quite like the original owner, but sometimes you can find the perfect person to carry the torch.”
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you → found → torch
he wrote in the blog.
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he → write → blog
He did not address the confusion surrounding his status at Automattic.
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He → address → Automattic
In the last two years, workers at the company have described chaotic, destabilizing leadership from Mullenweg, including layoffs, cultish loyalty checks, rage-quitting of community projects, petty trolling, and watermarking messages to try to track people leaking information to the press.
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workers → describe → press
The Automattic board hasn’t communicated anything to employees beyond what they posted in Slack on Wednesday, sources told 404 Media.
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sources → communicate → Media
Mullenweg wrote on Wednesday that the Automattic board “conspired” against him to vote him out behind his back.
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board → write → back
