OMITTED

What the news leaves out.

← Omitted front page

Matt Mullenweg Returns as Automattic CEO After Brief Ouster

4 sources · updated 2026-09-13
Left 50% Center 50% Right 0%
1 left · 1 center · 0 right

What happened

On Wednesday, Automattic’s board voted to place founder Matt Mullenweg on a paid leave of absence as CEO and named CFO Mark Davies interim CEO, a change the company confirmed to reporters. Mullenweg told staff in Slack that board members had “conspired” against him. By Friday he posted that the board was “back in agreement” and he was again in control; WordPress Executive Director Mary Hubbard then publicly confirmed his return. On Saturday evening an Automattic spokesperson stated that Mullenweg is chairman and CEO with the board’s full support. During the two-day interval, Davies’s Slack account was deactivated and Mullenweg removed other Slack administrators.
Sourcing check · Mostly on the record · 4 articles

3 of 4 articles cite a named source for the story. It started with unnamed sources; a named source appeared within the hour.

What these terms mean and how they're counted
On the record · names a source 3 of 4
On the record means the article cites a source by name for the story's main claim: a person, or an institution speaking officially, such as a company statement or a named agency's spokesperson. The opposite is an unnamed source. The count is how many of the counted articles cite at least one such source; the names are everyone named across them, each once however the articles spell it. Here: Mary Hubbard, Matt Mullenweg and Automattic spokesperson
Primary evidence · cites a document or data 0 of 4
Primary evidence means the article cites a record you could check yourself: a court filing or ruling, a dataset or report, a recording or transcript, an official statement or press release, market data. A quote is not a document. The count is how many articles cite one. Here: None cited.
Credits another outlet 0 of 4
The article says the story comes from another outlet's reporting (“first reported by Reuters”). Those articles relay the story; they are not independent confirmation. Here: Each article presents its own reporting.
Unnamed sources 3 of 4
The main claim is attributed to people who are not identified: “people familiar with the matter”, “officials said”. The count is how many articles do this. Here: e.g. “two sources”
How it developed
When the first report landed and whether it named anyone; when the first named source and the first document appeared. Here: First report Sep 11, 15:19 UTC by TechCrunch, with no named source. First named source within the hour, from TechCrunch.
Not counted 0
Opinion, analysis and video pieces, and articles too short to assess. Every count above is out of the counted articles. An article republished under a new headline is one article.
This is about who is cited, not whether the story is true. Each source below says what it names. How we count
BLINDSPOT. Only left-leaning outlets are covering this story — the other side's media is silent.
Omitted — what each side leaves out

Unpacked

Left-leaning coverage reports that Matt Mullenweg was back as Automattic CEO two days after the board voted him onto paid leave, and that WordPress's executive director confirmed the return. Right-leaning outlets had not covered the story as of publication, so their readers would miss the ouster and the reversal entirely. The Verge presents that comeback as settled while skipping Automattic's later statement that he has full support of the board. Among the outlets that did write, The Verge leads with a finished reinstatement and leaves out Mullenweg's suggestion that Silver Lake was involved in a plan to "destroy" his life. TechCrunch instead spent space on whether his Slack announcement was trolling. Why did Automattic's board vote to put its founder on leave?
Bottom line

Right-leaning outlets ran nothing on the Automattic fight, so The Verge's version of a two-day CEO ouster is the only partisan account a reader would see.

The receipts — 5 facts one side's coverage lacks
  • Mullenweg was back as Automattic CEO two days after the board voted him onto paid leave numberin The Verge, TechCrunch · absent from right-leaning coverage
  • An Automattic spokesperson said Mullenweg is chairman and CEO with full support of the board official statementin TechCrunch · absent from right-leaning coverage
  • Mullenweg suggested Silver Lake was involved in a plan to destroy his life contextin TechCrunch · absent from right-leaning coverage
  • When asked if Slack posts were trolling, Mullenweg replied he was a pirate individual casein TechCrunch · absent from right-leaning coverage
  • TechCrunch reported hearing that board member Toni Schneider was stepping down contextin TechCrunch · absent from right-leaning coverage
The Left View
The Verge, TechCrunch, and 404 Media described a confirmed midweek ouster, Mullenweg’s Slack accusation of a board “conspiracy,” then his claim of reinstatement—initially unverified and paired with unusual Slack and social posts (calling himself a “pirate,” linking LL Cool J, announcing a houseboat purchase, and referring to a “coup”). They reported Hubbard’s confirmation on X and Automattic’s Saturday statement restoring him as CEO. Coverage also recorded his suggestion that Silver Lake, majority owner of WP Engine in an ongoing lawsuit with Automattic, was involved, plus unresolved questions about board composition, including whether founding board member Toni Schneider stepped down. Outlets framed the episode as chaotic founder–board conflict, with mid-cycle uncertainty about whether some of Mullenweg’s posts were trolling.
Our Take (balanced)
The story is substantive: named actors, a board vote, Slack messages seen by multiple newsrooms, an on-the-record confirmation of the leave, Hubbard’s public confirmation, and Automattic’s later statement that Mullenweg is chairman and CEO with full board support. Established are the Wednesday leave and Davies appointment, the Saturday restoration, and the reported Slack-admin changes. Unestablished are the board’s reasons for the leave, Mullenweg’s claims of a Silver Lake-backed plot, the exact mechanics of the reversal, and whether any directors resigned. No right-leaning outlet has reported this. Watch for a board explanation of the leave, confirmation of any director changes, Davies’s status, and statements or filings in the WP Engine litigation.

4 sources

More stories

The week's bottom lines, in your inbox

One email a week: the five stories that mattered and what they actually mean. Free.