AUTOMATTIC reinstated Matt Mullenweg as chairman and CEO on Saturday, ending a week of internal turmoil that saw the board vote to remove him and appoint CFO Mark Davies as interim leader.
The company confirmed Mullenweg's return via a spokesperson at 5 p.m. ET. Automattic said he holds both roles with full board support, though the company did not explain the rationale for either his removal or reinstatement.
Mullenweg did not go quietly. After being voted out on Wednesday, he used his access to Automattic's internal Slack to boot other administrators and declared himself back in control. When pressed by reporters about whether his cryptic Slack posts—including "I'm a pirate now and cursed"—signaled his return, Mullenweg promised a blog post. That post detailed a houseboat purchase. Asked if he was trolling, he replied: "I'm not a troll I'm a pirate, obviously."
The episode highlights a pattern at Automattic. Mullenweg told social media followers this marked "likely the fifth time" he has faced a coup attempt, suggesting a long history of board-founder friction.
One significant casualty appears to be board member Toni Schneider, a founding Automattic CEO who now leads Bluesky. Multiple reports indicate Schneider has stepped down from Automattic's board, though neither Schneider nor the company confirmed this. Automattic declined to comment on any changes to board composition, saying only that the makeup "may still be in flux."
