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Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

calpaterson.com

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Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> High risk jobs should get higher compensation than low risk jobs. I agree with you, but isn't the problem more that they're sinking the ship? To take it to the extreme, if I joined a fortune 50 company as the CEO, and started losing billions a year with my decisions, should the board pay me more because I've created a risk to my reputation?

People aren't paid what they "deserve" but what value they provide to the company. If the situation exists (whether created by the CEO or not) that makes it more expensive to replace the CEO, then unless they plan on firing the ceo, the ceo's value to the company increases because they are expensive to replace. Or to put another way, life isn't fair and outcomes dont neccesarily align with what people deserve in a mo…

That's not even true. If the CEO is running the company into the ground how are they being paid based upon the value they are bringing to the company?

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been CEO of various companies in the past, and am CEO of a much smaller company today (by choice). Not 'large non-profits' but large enough for it to matter to those around me and the people that I employ. When COVID-19 hit the first thing I did was reduce, then totally stop my pay. This has caused me to take a significant personal hit but it means that the company now has a year and a half of runway left at the…

I am not commenting on Baker, I am commenting on you commenting on Baker. Whether or not she should take a pay cut is not the question, although personally I would say that it would be good if she did even if only for optics at this point. My issue is the one where you claim she is unfit to lead because she is non-technical in your eyes: again, this is not a requirement to be a good CEO.

It is not a requirement but it certainly helps when running a technology company. I know some very good companies run by lawyers: investment funds, legal companies and a medical institution.

None of them would run their companies into the ground to maintain their executive pay because they felt that would be 'unfair to their families', this is a CEO that is so self centered that nothing good can come of it.

But besides that, Mozilla - or rather, FireFox - is an important (though now much less important) technology component and a lawyer is not going to run a company making such a component effectively because this is not a regulated industry or a financial vehicle where having a legal background might give you an edge.

When three years from now Baker will have her nest egg completed the husk of Mozilla will quietly die and Firefox right along with it whereas right now there might (and that's a very small might) still be a chance to turn this around.

Regardless of whether you think lawyers make good CEOs, this lawyer is not a good CEO for this company, witness the performance of the flagship product, recent layoffs, the company financials and their recent statements.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but he wasn't woke enough so they got rid of a capable CEO. "Get woke go broke" Mozilla. Sorry if I sound bitter, but I love Firefox and hate to see it loosing users.

Dude resigned.

See below - he was chased out by the mob.

Interesting that any comment stating this is getting downvoted. Tells it all really.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#234
post #13

There's a quote from the CEO saying that they looked at the market and felt like they were being underpaid. And they can't reduce their salary now because it'd be unfair on their families. Firefox has a problem. It gets most of its revenue from Google. They need a different revenue stream but their ideas haven't worked. Their executives are clearly failures. But with such high pay, they're cashing out. Buying themsel…

> it'd be unfair on their families

WTF of an excuse that is?!

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#236
post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you need to qualify that statement

Their news operations are subsidised to the tune of ~£30m/yr by the charitable trust that owns them. Not in and of itself problematic, but accumulating a sizeable enough endowment to sufficiently fund operations isn't an option for most orgs. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/aug/07/guardian-broke...

> ...accumulating a sizeable enough endowment to sufficiently fund operations isn't an option for most orgs.

And one of the claims / complaints of TFA is that Mozilla had a massive income for many years, and could have built up an endowment; but instead chose to live "hand-to-mouth", spending their income on useless failed projects that have nothing to do with Firefox. (And CEO pay of course.)

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#237

> And they can't reduce their salary now because it'd be unfair on their families. That must be a real comfort to all the people they laid off. This CEO needs to go, needs to be replaced by someone who is well versed in technology instead of in law.

Maybe we shouldn’t have canceled Eich after all...

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#238
post #13

There's a quote from the CEO saying that they looked at the market and felt like they were being underpaid. And they can't reduce their salary now because it'd be unfair on their families. Firefox has a problem. It gets most of its revenue from Google. They need a different revenue stream but their ideas haven't worked. Their executives are clearly failures. But with such high pay, they're cashing out. Buying themsel…

> There's a quote from the CEO saying that they looked at the market and felt like they were being underpaid.

afair AMD CEO is paid 4x less than Mozilla CEO.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah but he wasn't woke enough so they got rid of a capable CEO. "Get woke go broke" Mozilla. Sorry if I sound bitter, but I love Firefox and hate to see it loosing users.

Dude resigned.

It's pretty apparent that his resignation was not voluntary.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been CEO of various companies in the past, and am CEO of a much smaller company today (by choice). Not 'large non-profits' but large enough for it to matter to those around me and the people that I employ. When COVID-19 hit the first thing I did was reduce, then totally stop my pay. This has caused me to take a significant personal hit but it means that the company now has a year and a half of runway left at the…

I am not commenting on Baker, I am commenting on you commenting on Baker. Whether or not she should take a pay cut is not the question, although personally I would say that it would be good if she did even if only for optics at this point. My issue is the one where you claim she is unfit to lead because she is non-technical in your eyes: again, this is not a requirement to be a good CEO.

Why is that not a valid position to take? Sure you can have good non-specialist or non-technical leaders. Are they better or worse?

I would say without a personal understanding of the challenges of the core business, their judgement would lack that influence. This lacking will absolutely effect the direction of the org. The numbers don’t lie as to the effect.

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