The resignation of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich over his reported support for anti-marriage equality organizations and groups has made a few waves across the Bay Area and Silicon Valley. A number of developers and tech workers have told Tech Times that they are fearful that private views could trump work in the industry and are concerned over the role the public campaign against Eich played in his resignation.
For tech workers like James Thomson, who has worked for large companies like Apple and Google in the past and is now a freelance developer for start-ups in the region, Eich's resignation shows that even Silicon Valley is not immune to outside influences.
"I think what we are seeing with this particular case is that workers and the public can come together under one issue to make changes at the very top of a company," he told Tech Times. "For all of us who work in the tech world, we do believe that companies and leaders must be more aware of the social and political climate we find ourselves in, and Eich should have spoken out on this sooner."
Still, Thomson and others in the sector believe that private views, especially on one issue, should not necessarily trump a person's ability to lead a company.
But the Bay Area is a stronghold for support of gay rights and Eich's position in opposition to marriage equality and his support, financially, for Proposition 8 -- legislation that repealed same-sex marriage in California -- sparked anger and frustration among many in the region.
Ironically, Eich was not the only tech industry CEO and professional to support Prop 8. Prior to her being named HP CEO in 2010, Meg Whitman was also a supporter of Proposition 8. Many argue, though, that due to Mozilla's non-profit status as a public-benefit company, this issue went beyond tech industry work and into the social arena.
"We must be aware of how a company functions. For example, Mozilla is a company founded on the belief that it is for the public good, so an issue like marriage equality hits home for many in the region who are avid supporters of equality," said former website designer turned social media activist Megan Rian, who told Tech Times that in her discussions with Mozilla employees, they viewed Eich's position as one "entirely outside the norm of the company."
"Mozilla has branded itself as a progressive, open forum for web users and for Eich to have been so supportive of an issue that largely was opposed by workers, it makes sense that the pressure forced him out," she said.
Still, Rian and Thomson question the role outside influences can have on the overall dynamics of a company and worry that the ousting of Eich is a form of censorship.
"We must be wary at some level of the campaign that saw him forced out. It wasn't a question of his work or his leadership at Mozilla, so this can be seen as a concern for many of us and future leaders in the area," Thomson argued.
For many in Silicon Valley and the tech world, politics and society are becoming a major factor for company success and leadership. That's something Eich has learned all too well, and which is forcing him to take an indefinite leave of absence from Mozilla as anger toward him subsides.
