It seems that if you are a highly successful CEO, newly appointed to run a software corporation that produces a popular web browser and other products, your business acumen and the success of the corporation under your leadership are irrelevant if you have a personal social view that is in opposition to some of your employees and others on the left who don’t even work for you. Oh, and being the cofounder sixteen years ago doesn’t get you off the hook. I’m referring to Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScript, cofounder of Mozilla in 1998, formerly the chief technology officer and now the CEO. Eich has been the CEO for exactly one week and is already on the receiving end of a huge backlash from Mozilla employees. The reason? In 2008 Eich gave $1,000 to Proposition 8, a California ballot that was intended to block same-sex marriages in the state. Oh, the horror! Liberal ‘tolerance’ rears its ugly head again.
Some Mozilla employees have taken to their blogs and social media to blast Eich for his private donation six years ago, demanding an apology, that he resign or that he be fired. Hostile action is even coming from outside Mozilla. This evening I read that people using Mozilla’s Firefox web browser are seeing a pop-up letter when visiting the dating site OkCupid. Users are still able to continue into the website using Firefox, but are given links to other browsers and urged to switch.
The Daily Dot has a story on OkCupid’s decision and received a statement from Mozilla: “Mozilla supports equality for all, including marriage equality for LGBT couples. No matter who you are or who you love, everyone deserves the same rights and to be treated equally. OKCupid never reached out to us to let us know of their intentions, nor to confirm facts.”
Eich also took to his blog to address the situation.
I am deeply honored and humbled by the CEO role. I’m also grateful for the messages of support. At the same time, I know there are concerns about my commitment to fostering equality and welcome for LGBT individuals at Mozilla. I hope to lay those concerns to rest, first by making a set of commitments to you. More important, I want to lay them to rest by actions and results.
A number of Mozillians, including LGBT individuals and allies, have stepped forward to offer guidance and assistance in this. I cannot thank you enough, and I ask for your ongoing help to make Mozilla a place of equality and welcome for all. Here are my commitments, and here’s what you can expect:
- Active commitment to equality in everything we do, from employment to events to community-building.
- Working with LGBT communities and allies, to listen and learn what does and doesn’t make Mozilla supportive and welcoming.
- My ongoing commitment to our Community Participation Guidelines, our inclusive health benefits, our anti-discrimination policies, and the spirit that underlies all of these.
- My personal commitment to work on new initiatives to reach out to those who feel excluded or who have been marginalized in ways that makes their contributing to Mozilla and to open source difficult. More on this last item below.
I know some will be skeptical about this, and that words alone will not change anything. I can only ask for your support to have the time to “show, not tell”; and in the meantime express my sorrow at having caused pain.
What this all comes down to is people on the left persecuting a successful business leader who leads a corporation that does provide same-sex benefits and recently added a trans-inclusive healthcare policy, for the sole reason that six years ago he gave a private donation to a group that doesn’t share their social views. This is another classic example of the hypocritical intolerance of the left. No one is allowed to disagree with them on anything, but you better be tolerant of their views. Tolerance has always been a one-way street for the left and they are more than happy to run people over for going against them.
Update 4/3/14: Brendan Eich has succumbed to the pressure and resigned as CEO of the Mozilla Corporation. Another fine example of the hypocrisy of liberal tolerance.
The intolerance of the homosexual activists, in particular, and the liberals, in general, never ceases to amaze me. It is made even more obvious when you consider the fact that they accuse conservatives of being intolerant.
Intolerance of others and hypocrisy is what they are all about.
Liberals love to accuse conservatives of doing the very things of which they themselves are guilty. This won’t be the last time we see something like this happen.