The boss and co-founder of Firefox browser maker Mozilla is stepping down following controversy stirred by his support of a California bill to ban gay marriage.
Brendon Eich voluntarily surrendered his role as chief executive of Mozilla along with his seat on the board of the non-profit foundation that owns the corporation, according to a blog post by executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker.
The backlash sprung from news of a cash donation he made in 2008 to support passage of a California law banning gay marriage; a move from which he has never publicly backed away.
Those circumstances lead to vocal protests on Twitter by Mozilla staffers and acall by the OkCupid dating site to not use Firefox.
‘We know why people are hurt and angry, and they are right: its because we haven’t stayed true to ourselves,’ Baker said.
‘We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better.’
Baker maintained that Mozilla believes in equality and freedom of speech. She said it remained to be determined who would replace Eich.
https://blog.mozilla.org/blog/2014/04/03/brendan-eich-steps-down-as-mozilla-ceo/