Mozilla on Monday promoted Chris Beard to interim CEO as the company continues to search for a permanent replacement following the controversial resignation of Brendan Eich less than two weeks ago.
In a statement on Mozilla’s official blog, Executive Chairwoman Mitchell Baker said there is no better person to lead them through this time of transition. She added that Beard has one of the clearest visions she has ever seen and is also a strong candidate for CEO.
Beard, who is also joining the foundation’s Board of Directors, held a number of titles during his tenure with Mozilla which started before they even shipped Firefox 1.0. He served as Chief Marketing Officer starting in 2004 before shifting gears roles to Chief Innovation Officer from 2007 through 2010. Beard also acted as VP of products from 2003 through 2007.
He stepped away from Mozilla for a brief time to join Greylock Partners as an executive in residence. Greylock Partners is a venture capital firm that also employs fellow Mozilla board members Reid Hoffman and John Lilly.
It’s been a rocky road for Mozilla over the past month. If you recall, the foundation appointed JavaScript creator and Mozilla CTO Brendan Eich as new CEO following an exhaustive search that lasted nearly a year.
Shortly after, it was revealed that Eich supported California’s Proposition 8 campaign against gay marriage via a $1,000 donation in 2012. The revelation led many – including several Mozilla employees – to call for him to step down. He followed through with those wishes on April 3.
https://www.techspot.com/news/56386-mozilla-appoints-veteran-chris-beard-as-interim-ceo.html
