Matt Mullenweg Returns as Automattic CEO Two Days After Board Placed Him on Leave
The reversal leaves Mullenweg in charge of both Automattic and the open-source WordPress project, after he publicly disputed how the board moved against him.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
Matt Mullenweg told employees on September 11, 2026 that he was returning as Automattic CEO, two days after the board placed him on paid leave and named CFO Mark Davis interim CEO. Automattic spokesperson Meagan Fox confirmed to CMSWire on September 12 that Mullenweg is chairman and CEO with the board's full support. Mullenweg said on Slack that he had received the draft resolution 50 minutes before the board meeting.
Mullenweg kept his board seat and his role leading the open-source WordPress project while on leave, and he said on internal Slack that he opposed the resolution and had no time to have an independent lawyer review it. He announced on September 11 that the board had reached an agreement and that he had taken control of management, saying the past 48 hours needed sorting out and that he hoped much of it was a misunderstanding. Automattic spokesperson Meagan Fox confirmed the chairman and CEO role the next day.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.