// THE VERGE — HARDWARE & GADGET
Matt Mullenweg reportedly returns as Automattic CEO two days after getting booted
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Automattic founder Mullenweg is apparently already back at the helm of Automattic — and is posting about ‘coup’ attempts.
Automattic founder Mullenweg is apparently already back at the helm of Automattic — and is posting about ‘coup’ attempts.
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Two days after being placed on a paid leave of absence, Matt Mullenweg says he has been reinstated as CEO of Automattic, according to a Slack message seen by TechCrunch.
As 404 Media reported on Wednesday, Mullenweg had told staff in Slack that CFO Mark Davies “conspired” with the board of directors, who voted to “put me on a paid leave of absence.” (Mullenweg said he voted against that.) He also told staff that the board had voted for Davies to become interim CEO. Davies, in a separate message, said that Mullenweg would still be a board member, according to 404 Media. An Automattic spokesperson told The Verge that Mullenweg was “currently on leave” from the company and confirmed Davies’ interim appointment.
In the message viewed by TechCrunch, however, Mullenweg wrote that the board is “back in agreement” and that he’s “in control of Automattic.” He added that “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.” TechCrunch reports that Davies’ Slack account has been deactivated and that Mullenweg had removed “all” admins from Automattic’s Slack.