Matt Mullenweg, Automattic's CEO, announced he is back in control of the company, claiming the board is in agreement. This statement followed a period of 48 hours where the board had placed him on leave. Mullenweg posted this message in a company-wide Slack channel, referencing a song and changing his profile picture to a pirate. CFO Mark Davies, who was slated to be interim CEO, reportedly had his Slack account deactivated. Neither Mullenweg, Davies, nor Automattic responded to requests for comment. Mullenweg did publish a blog post announcing he is buying a tugboat, but did not address the company's leadership situation. This entire episode occurs amidst a history of legal disputes, layoffs, and employee departures under Mullenweg's leadership. Automattic has not released an official statement mirroring Mullenweg's claim of regained control. The situation has generated significant confusion among employees and observers. Further clarification is anticipated in a forthcoming blog post from Mullenweg.