Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Steps Down

Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Steps Down: A prominent Silicon Valley chief executive stepped down just days after his appointment, amid a firestorm across the Internet that was sparked by employees who complained about his opposition to gay marriage.

Brendan Eich resigned from Mozilla, the organization behind the Firefox Web browser, after intense criticism over a six-year-old, $1,000 donation he made in support of a 2008 California ballot initiative to ban gay marriage.

The record of that donation appeared on the Internet soon after Mr. Eich, who invented JavaScript and helped start Mozilla in 1998, was appointed as CEO in late March. After he was named, some Mozilla employees took to Twitter to call for his resignation. Mr. Eich then apologized for causing “pain” and made a commitment to promote equality for gay and lesbian individuals at Mozilla.

Mr. Eich’s resignation spurred debate on Thursday over whether his right to his own political views was effectively squelched.

“The mob got their man,” Matt Galligan, CEO of news startup Circa, wrote on Twitter. “While I disagree with his beliefs @BrendanEich gave us JavaScript and helped build Mozilla & Netscape. Just $1,000 to Prop 8 now his legacy.”