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Mullenweg Regains Automattic CEO Control After 48-Hour Dispute

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 10:31 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Matt Mullenweg announced he has regained control as Automattic CEO after a 48-hour board dispute.
The board had placed Mullenweg on paid leave and appointed CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO.
After regaining control, Mullenweg removed all Slack administrators and deactivated Davies’s Slack account.
He warned that private equity firm Silver Lake was part of a plan to “destroy” his life.

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Story summary

Matt Mullenweg announced he has regained control as Automattic CEO after a 48-hour board dispute.
The board had placed Mullenweg on paid leave and appointed CFO Mark Davies as interim CEO.
After regaining control, Mullenweg removed all Slack administrators and deactivated Davies’s Slack account.
He warned that private equity firm Silver Lake was part of a plan to “destroy” his life.