Mozilla foundation's new CEO causes concern due to anti-gay-marriage views

by
in legal on (#3HA)
story imageThe guy co-founded Mozilla and served as Netscape's chief architect . He invented Javascript . He's been Mozilla's chief technical officer for 9 years. On March 24th, Brendan Eich became the Mozilla Foundation's CEO - and members of Mozilla's staff promptly demanded that he step down . Why? Because Brendan Eich is anti-gay-marriage.

The BBC , CFO World , and others are reporting that online dating site OK Cupid is notifying users of Firefox of the views of the Mozilla Foundation's new CEO - and requesting that they use another browser to access the site. It's not quite a boycott - users can still click through to access the site while using Firefox - but it's definitely a statement. This isn't the first time this kind of thing has happened. Hobby Lobby , Chick-Fil-A , and Costco have all experienced similar backlashes.

Mark Surman, XO of Mozilla, says:
"I worry that we do a bad job of explaining ourselves, that people are angry and don't know who we are or where we stand. And, I worry that in the time it takes to work this through and explain ourselves the things I love about Mozilla will be deeply damaged."

At what point do a person's political, personal, or religious views outweigh their qualifications for leadership - and does using Firefox in any way imply support of these views?

Re: When it hurts the company (Score: 2, Insightful)

by zafiro17@pipedot.org on 2014-04-02 11:50 (#Y4)

Ultimately, a CEO - any leader, in fact, sets the moral and ethical tone for a company. If your CEO is a blatant racist, not only does your company get associated with racism, but it affects employee relations. If your CEO kicks puppies, then your company kicks puppies and it's OK for aspiring leaders to also kick puppies, because "that guy does it." How's you like to be a gay Mozilla employee? You're not going to feel as secure and comfortable in that work environment knowing that your CEO is against you. Maybe you'll look for work elsewhere, and take your talent with you. Inclusive work environments are more productive, because people feel safe to be who they are and focus on their work instead.

I have no problem with this guy being forced to defend his stance. He seems to be taking a relatively conservative stance at a moment when the world is shifting in a different direction.

You don't have to agree with all of your CEO's views. But you do have to understand that his views not only impact your company's reputation but also affect employee relations and more.
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