D**S
发帖数: 24887 | 6 http://abcnews.go.com/Business/mozilla-ceo-resigns-calif-gay-ma
Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Resigns After Protests from Gay Marriage Supporters
April 3, 2014
Mozilla co-founder CEO Brendan Eich, who came under fire this week for
donating to a campaign to ban gay marriage in California, has resigned.
Eich, who became the CEO of the nonprofit company behind Mozilla Firefox on
March 24, had donated $1,000 for the successful Proposition 8 ballot measure
that passed in the November 2008 state election.
Last year, California's ban on gay marriage was overturned when the Supreme
Court left in place a lower court's ruling against the measure.
Eich was previously chief technology officer of the company, but had been
involved in Mozilla's development starting from its conception in 1998. The
previous acting CEO Jay Sullivan had left the company to pursue "new
opportunities," the company said.
After the announcement that he would become CEO last week, some Mozilla
staff protested his appointment while three of Mozilla's directors resigned.
OKCupid protested by refusing to allow users to run the dating website with
the Firefox browser.
A statement from an OKCupid spokesman said that the dating site firm is “
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.”
OKCupid ended its boycott on Wednesday after "consultation with Mozilla and
understanding their commitment to take affirmative action," a spokesman told
ABCNews.com.
OKCupid’s management had not called for Eich’s resignation but the company
said today, “We are satisfied that Mozilla will be taking a number of
further affirmative steps to support the equality of all relationships.”
In a statement on the Mozilla website, executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker,
said today: "Mozilla prides itself on being held to a different standard and
, this past week, we didn’t live up to it. We know why people are hurt and
angry, and they are right: it’s because we haven’t stayed true to
ourselves.
"Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He’s made this
decision for Mozilla and our community," Baker wrote. "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."
Baker wrote that the future leadership of the company is being discussed.
In a personal blog post addressing employees on March 26, Eich wrote that he
recognized "there are concerns about my commitment to fostering equality
and welcome for LGBT individuals at Mozilla," but he hoped "to lay those
concerns to rest, first by making a set of commitments to you." He and the
company emphasized equal health benefits to all domestic partners across the
country. |
