Earlier this week, Mozilla announced that it had appointed a new CEO: JavaScript creator Brendan Eich. But that choice was immediately mired in controversy, as it emerged that Eich had donated money towards the Proposition 8 campaign in California that opposed same-sex marriages.
The controversy quickly escalated, as some app developers sought to distance themselves from Mozilla in direct response to Eich"s appointment, even going as far as pulling their apps from the Firefox Marketplace.
Things have now worsened further, as employees of the Mozilla Foundation itself have called on their new CEO to resign. As Ars Technica reports, Chris McAvoy, who heads up Mozilla’s Open Badges project tweeted: “I love @mozilla but I’m disappointed this week”, in response to Eich’s appointment.
McAvoy added: @mozilla stands for openness and empowerment, but is acting in the opposite way.” In a further tweet, his words were unequivocal:
Many more Mozilla staff retweeted these sentiments and added their own, calling on Eich to resign.
Ars Technica also reports that, earlier this week, Brendan Eich issued a statement on his personal blog, in which he recognised “concerns about my commitment to fostering equality and welcome for LGBT [lesbian, gay, bi and transgender] individuals at Mozilla.” He said that he was committed to a range of plans to “work with LGBT communities and allies”.
Recognising the uphill struggle that he faces in winning over the hearts and minds of his employees, the new CEO also said: “I don’t ask for trust free of context, or without a solid structure to support accountability. No leader or person who has a privileged position should.”
Source: Ars Technica | Rainbow flag image shown is a mock-up and not an official Mozilla photo