Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Resigns

I noted recently that Mozilla - the creator of Firefox and other Internet and computer platforms - had found itself after Brendan Eich (pictured at left) was promoted to CEO.  Why?  Because Eich had contributed to the Proposition 8 campaign in California through which far right Christians and the Mormon Church sought to impose their religious beliefs on marriage on all citizens.  In the wake of blistering condemnations and boycott efforts, Eich resigned as CEO of Mozilla today.   Some like Andrew Sullivan - who I read daily, but do not always agree with are acting as if Eich is a free speech martyr.  I strongly disagree.   If Eich had stated his beliefs and been happy to practice his religious beliefs, I would have no issue with him.  But the entire goal of Proposition 8 was to inflict one set of religious beliefs on all and to trample on the religious freedom of others.  That is something far different than merely exercising one's right of free speech.  Unlike Sullivan, Mozilla got it right in a press release:

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.

We didn’t act like you’d expect Mozilla to act. We didn’t move fast enough to engage with people once the controversy started. We’re sorry. We must do better.

Brendan Eich has chosen to step down from his role as CEO. He’s made this decision for Mozilla and our community.

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.

Our organizational culture reflects diversity and inclusiveness. We welcome contributions from everyone regardless of age, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender-identity, language, race, sexual orientation, geographical location and religious views. Mozilla supports equality for all.

We have employees with a wide diversity of views. Our culture of openness extends to encouraging staff and community to share their beliefs and opinions in public. This is meant to distinguish Mozilla from most organizations and hold us to a higher standard. But this time we failed to listen, to engage, and to be guided by our community.

While painful, the events of the last week show exactly why we need the web. So all of us can engage freely in the tough conversations we need to make the world better.

The Christofascists believe "religious liberty" consists of being able to inflict their beliefs on all.  The irony is that they are endeavoring to do exactly what the Founding Fathers sought to avoid: one set of religious beliefs forced on all regardless of individuals' personal beliefs.   Eich and his supporters need to be honest with themselves and admit that their supposed "free speech" was aimed at depriving others of their constitutional rights.  Other businesses - and states - would be wise to learn from Mozilla's self-inflicted injury.