Mozilla CEO Brendon Eich has stepped down from his position after a political backlash that involved his support of anti-gay marriage, igniting gay rights activists' anger, as well as others in the tech industry.
Brendan Eich's views on gay marriage came to light in the days following his appointment of running Mozilla last week. News of a $ 1,000 donation he made in 2008 supporting California's Proposition 8, an anti-gay marriage referendum. Mozilla recently published a blog post stating that.
"Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and, this past week, we didn't live up to it," Mitchell Baker, the executive chairwoman of Mozilla, wrote. "We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: It's because we haven't stayed true to ourselves."
This prompt activist including the dating site OKCupid to publicly condemn the software development firm for appointing a known supporter of the anti-gay law voters passed Prop 8, but it was later shot down by the Supreme Court. Critics urged that web users try a different browser.
Mozilla made statement in their blog last Thursday saying that.
"We didn't act like you'd expect Mozilla to act. We didn't move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We're sorry. We must do better.
Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He's made this decision for Mozilla and our community.
Mozilla believes both in equality and freedom of speech. Equality is necessary for meaningful speech. And you need free speech to fight for equality. Figuring out how to stand for both at the same time can be hard.
Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views. Mozilla supports equality for all.
We have employees with a wide diversity of views. Our culture of openness extends to encouraging staff and community to share their beliefs and opinions in public. This is meant to distinguish Mozilla from most organizations and hold us to a higher standard. But this time we failed to listen, to engage, and to be guided by our community.
While painful, the events of the last week show exactly why we need the web. So all of us can engage freely in the tough conversations we need to make the world better.
We need to put our focus back on protecting that Web. And doing so in a way that will make you proud to support Mozilla."
No word has of late of who's going to replace Eich as CEO, Mozilla's executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker insisted the company is not without options, according to an interview she made earlier. She also said that Eich's ability to lead has been compromised due to the increased scrutiny over the issue. She also told the publication that Eich's decision to resign was his own and not due to any pressure from her or the board.
