Should Mozilla CEO have stepped down because of personal beliefs?
Just one week after being named CEO of Mozilla, Brendan Eich has resigned. Eich came under fire for backing Proposition 8, legislation that banned gay marriage in California. He donated $1,000 in 2008 in support of the measure, which California voters approved. Eich stated that his personal views would not get in the way of running the tech company but staff members, users and even OKCupid still protested his new role, prompting him to resign.
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In a statement released Thursday, the web browser’s executive chairwoman Mitchell Baker wrote, "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."
Were Eich’s personal views so egregious that he was unable to lead the company?
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“This is a free browser,” says Yahoo Finance’s Michael Santoli. “There’s a very low cost to changing. So I do think it becomes a liability at a point where it starts to impact the business.
Now that the Supreme Court has ruled that political donations can be unlimited, “the private sector is starting to be the policy police on at least some personalities,” says Santoli.
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