In a statement published today on Mozilla’s blog Mitchell Baker announced that Brendan Eich would step down from the position of CEO. Mozilla produces Firefox, one of the most popular web browsers in the world.
A week ago Eich’s appointment sparked a large controversy in the Internet world. #boycottFirefox appeared on social networking websites and OkCupid released a letter earlier in the week asking people to use a different browser when accessing their website. The outrage over Mozilla’s choice for CEO became too much, and Eich will no longer lead the company.
OkCupid released a brief statement after the news:
?We are pleased that OkCupid’s boycott has brought tremendous awareness to the critical matter of equal rights for all individuals and partnerships; today’s decision reaffirms Mozilla’s commitment to that cause. We are satisfied that Mozilla will be taking a number of further affirmative steps to support the equality of all relationships.?
Brendan Eich’s notoriety came from a 2008 contribution in favor of California’s Proposition 8; the law that banned marriage equality in that state.
Baker had this to say to the public on today’s blog:
?What’s next for Mozilla’s leadership is still being discussed. We want to be open about where we are in deciding the future of the organization and will have more information next week. However, our mission will always be to make the Web more open so that humanity is stronger, more inclusive and more just: that’s what it means to protect the open Web.?
Edited/Published by: SB
