Matt Mullenweg announced on the Automattic Slack channel that he has resumed his role as CEO. He stated that the board is back in agreement with him, following a period of internal conflict. Mullenweg noted that significant events occurred over the past 48 hours that require resolution, characterizing them as potential misunderstandings.
Earlier this week, the board of Automattic voted to remove Mullenweg as CEO and placed him on a paid leave of absence. During this time, the company's chief financial officer, Mark Davies, was appointed as interim CEO. Automattic confirmed the leave of absence and Davies' interim role to the press prior to Mullenweg's latest announcement.
Following the board's decision to remove him, Mullenweg took several actions, including removing all Slack administrators and posting messages on social media platforms like Reddit and X. He suggested that the private equity firm Silver Lake, which owns WP Engine, was involved in the attempt to remove him from his position.
As of the latest update, Automattic has not officially confirmed the board's decision to reinstate Mullenweg. Sources indicate that the Slack account of interim CEO Mark Davies has been deactivated. Mullenweg stated that a formal blog post regarding the situation is forthcoming.
