# Matt Mullenweg says he's back, and a pirate

> Automattic's board voted to sideline its founder. A week later, he's CEO again and calling himself a pirate.
- Title: Matt Mullenweg says he's back, and a pirate · TechCrunch
- Summary: Automattic's board voted to sideline its founder. A week later, he's CEO again and calling himself a pirate. A board vote only removes a founder if the…
- Keywords: automattic, wordpress, founders, boards, tech drama, technology, startups, Matt, Mullenweg, he's, back, pirate
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/12/automattic-confirms-mullenweg-has-returned-as-ceo-after-attempted-ouster-by-board
- Author: Sarah Perez
- Published: 2026-09-12T23:25:38+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: automattic, wordpress, founders, boards, tech drama, technology, startups
## He never really left
Automattic told TechCrunch on Saturday evening that Matt Mullenweg is chairman and CEO again, days after the board voted him out.

> Matt Mullenweg is the chairman and CEO of Automattic, with full support of the board
## The board moved first
Earlier in the week, Automattic's board voted to put Mullenweg on paid leave. No reason was given, publicly or to him.
## A CFO in the chair
On Wednesday the company confirmed the removal and named CFO Mark Davies interim CEO, with what it called the board's full confidence.
## He kept the keys
Mullenweg booted other admins from the company Slack and told staff he was back in control. Sources say the board's plan fell apart from there.

> If this is an HR problem, please wrangle me in since my normal wranglers are with Mark Davies
## I'm a pirate now
He posted profanity in Slack, something he was known for never doing. Asked if the CEO claim was trolling, he said he was a pirate, obviously.

> I'm not a troll I'm a pirate, obviously
## The promised post was a houseboat
He told TechCrunch a blog post would explain things. It turned out to be about buying a houseboat. He never formally commented on his return.
## The board is still moving
Founding CEO Toni Schneider, now running Bluesky, is reported to have stepped down. Mullenweg says this is roughly the fifth coup he has survived.
## Key takeaway

A board vote only removes a founder if the founder agrees to leave. Mullenweg kept the Slack admin keys and simply stayed.