Mozilla CEO Stepped Down Over Proposition 8 Donation-Truth!
Summary of eRumor:
This is a forwarded email that appears to look like an article about Brendan Eich, who was appointed CEO of Mozilla on March 24, 2014. The article alleged that Eich stepped down because of a protest launched against Mozilla by an online dating website called “OKCupid.” The reason for the protest was because Eich supported Proposition 8 in California with a $1,000 donation. Proposition 8 was a bill on the 2008 ballot that banned gay marriage in the Golden State.
The Truth:
The article in the example is real and was was posted on the website of Dish.Andrewsullivan.com.
Brendan Eich, who was appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Mozilla on March 24, 2014, has stepped down, according to an April 3, 2014, entry on the blog section of the Mozilla website. The blog said Eich “made this decision for Mozilla and our community.”
According to an April 1, 2014 article by USA Today the online dating website, OKCupid, started the protest against Mozilla. OKCupid wrote a notice to visitors using Mozilla’s Firefox web browser to read a letter calling for a boycott of Mozilla. Their reason for the protest was Mozilla’s selection of Eich as the company’s new leader, who was described by OKCuptin as “an opponent of equal rights for gay couples.” The article said that Eich made a $1,000 donation to California’s Prop 8, an initiative to ban gay marriage in the state.
After his appointment, Eich declared his commitment to equality on his website blog and stood by Mozilla’s policy of “inclusion of health benefits for same-sex couples.”
Mozilla noted on its blog that the company “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.”
Recent developments indicate that Eich’s leaving Mozilla may have landed the company in more hot water than it bargained for.
On April 4, 2014, the Washington Times reported that conservative “activist Ben Shapiro is leading up an online charge of fellow political compadres to boycott the browser Firefox — an outraged response to the Mozilla chief’s departure from his CEO role due to gay rights’ protests.”
The Washington Times article went on to say, “Mr. Shapiro has started a movement — complete with petition — to get as many Internet users as possible to ‘uninstall or cease using Mozilla.”
Posted 04/04/14