Mullenweg has returned as CEO after attempted board ouster
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Mullenweg returned as Automattic CEO after board's attempted ouster failed.
Automattic confirmed that Matt Mullenweg has returned as chairman and CEO with the board's full support, ending a brief ouster that began with a board vote placing him on paid leave. Mullenweg resisted, booting admins from Slack and claiming he was back in control; the company said he was away for only 33 hours and 20 minutes. The board's plan was marked by confusion; board member Toni Schneider reportedly stepped down. Mullenweg posted about buying a houseboat and called himself a pirate.
What commenters are saying
Commenters broadly viewed the episode as highlighting the undemocratic nature of corporate governance, with one top comment calling corporations "little feudal kingdoms." Several replies debated whether worker co-ops offer a market-friendly alternative; some invoked planned vs. market economy comparisons. Others focused on the drama itself, noting parallels to Sam Altman's OpenAI ouster and joking about a "coup survivors" club. A few pointed out Automattic's name derives from 'AutoMATTic' and discussed other eponymous company names like Adidas.