Matt Mullenweg claims control of Automattic has been restored
The WordPress.com parent has not confirmed whether its founder formally resumed the chief executive role after being placed on paid leave.
Matt Mullenweg has told Automattic staff he is back in control of the company, days after its board reportedly placed him on paid leave and appointed chief financial officer Mark Davies interim chief executive.
In a Slack message seen by TechCrunch and confirmed by two sources, Mullenweg said the board was “back in agreement” and that he was in control of Automattic. He added that events over the previous 48 hours needed to be resolved and may have involved a misunderstanding.
Automattic has not confirmed the apparent reversal. The company did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment, while Mullenweg said a blog post was forthcoming.
Sources also told TechCrunch that Davies’ Slack account had been deactivated. The report said Mullenweg had previously removed Slack administrators from the company’s workspace, adding to uncertainty over whether formal changes had been made.
The reasons for the board’s reported decision to place Mullenweg on leave remain unknown. His subsequent public posts indicated that he disputed the move and believed outside interests were involved, but the wider context of the dispute has not been established.
