Automattic's Matt Mullenweg Claims He's Back 'In Control' (404media.co)
(Saturday September 12, 2026 @05:00PM (BeauHD)
from the don't-call-it-a-comeback dept.)
- Reference: 0185624268
- News link: https://slashdot.org/story/26/09/12/1751208/automattics-matt-mullenweg-claims-hes-back-in-control
- Source link: https://www.404media.co/automattic-matt-mullenweg-back-in-control/
Less than 48 hours after Automattic's board [1]placed Matt Mullenweg on leave , Mullenweg told employees he was [2]back "in control" of the company and that the board was again in agreement. 404 Media cited Slack screenshots late Thursday evening where Mullenweg posted "Don't call it a comeback" and linked to LL Cool J's music video for " [3]Mama Said Knock You Out ." "Mullenweg's Slack profile picture currently shows him wearing a pirate hat and eyepatch," the report notes. From the report:
> "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. "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."
>
> 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. Davies, Mullenweg, and Automattic did not respond to 404 Media's requests for comment for this story. Techcrunch reported that Mullenweg told them a blog post is forthcoming.
>
> On Friday morning, Mullenweg [4]published a blog post on his personal website, titled "Major Life Announcement." In it he announced he's buying a 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," he wrote in the blog. He did not address the confusion surrounding his status at Automattic.
The back-and-forth follows years of [5]legal fights , [6]layoffs , [7]employee departures , and [8]controversy surrounding Mullenweg's leadership.
[1] https://slashdot.org/story/26/09/10/1649254/automattics-board-forces-ceo-matt-mullenweg-into-leave-of-absence
[2] https://www.404media.co/automattic-matt-mullenweg-back-in-control/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vimZj8HW0Kg&ref=404media.co
[4] https://ma.tt/2026/09/mirene/
[5] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/06/30/1825238/wordpress-ceo-regrets-belongs-to-me-comment-amid-ongoing-wp-engine-legal-battle
[6] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/04/16/1959227/following-layoffs-automattic-employees-discover-leak-catching-watermarks
[7] https://slashdot.org/story/24/10/04/1355253/159-employees-leave-automattic-as-wordpress-ceo-escalates-fight-with-wp-engine
[8] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/02/12/2055249/wp-engine-says-automattic-planned-to-shake-down-10-hosting-companies-for-wordpress-royalties
> "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. "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."
>
> 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. Davies, Mullenweg, and Automattic did not respond to 404 Media's requests for comment for this story. Techcrunch reported that Mullenweg told them a blog post is forthcoming.
>
> On Friday morning, Mullenweg [4]published a blog post on his personal website, titled "Major Life Announcement." In it he announced he's buying a 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," he wrote in the blog. He did not address the confusion surrounding his status at Automattic.
The back-and-forth follows years of [5]legal fights , [6]layoffs , [7]employee departures , and [8]controversy surrounding Mullenweg's leadership.
[1] https://slashdot.org/story/26/09/10/1649254/automattics-board-forces-ceo-matt-mullenweg-into-leave-of-absence
[2] https://www.404media.co/automattic-matt-mullenweg-back-in-control/
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vimZj8HW0Kg&ref=404media.co
[4] https://ma.tt/2026/09/mirene/
[5] https://tech.slashdot.org/story/25/06/30/1825238/wordpress-ceo-regrets-belongs-to-me-comment-amid-ongoing-wp-engine-legal-battle
[6] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/04/16/1959227/following-layoffs-automattic-employees-discover-leak-catching-watermarks
[7] https://slashdot.org/story/24/10/04/1355253/159-employees-leave-automattic-as-wordpress-ceo-escalates-fight-with-wp-engine
[8] https://yro.slashdot.org/story/26/02/12/2055249/wp-engine-says-automattic-planned-to-shake-down-10-hosting-companies-for-wordpress-royalties
Mullenweg says he's back in control (Score:2)
by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 )
As one who's seen quite a number of relevant tech news items over the past few years - I'm not sure I'd agree with that self-assessment.
airing dirty laundry (Score:1)
by InternetGoblin ( 10503104 )
weekend afternoon? check | no or slow news? check | parallel to sundry politics? check ------------- weekend form of slashvertisement!
In control? (Score:2)
by eneville ( 745111 )
Nope, the malware is and has been, in control for a long while
Erm, what? (Score:2)
My cat just took a dump in front of the litterbox. Somehow that seems slightly more relevant than this news.
Re: (Score:2)
Does Slashdot have a history of running stories about your cat? Is your cat in the middle of an open source licensing spat? What makes you think your cat is special? At least this story is tech related, or if you want I can mention Trump is a thundercunt if that makes you feel more at home on Slashdot?