Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#1

Post by line-zero » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 10:08 PM UTC

Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire
arstechnica.com

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#2

Post by HillRat » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 10:55 PM UTC

They should be protesting the fact that he's the person responsible for JavaScript. (Hey, don't forget to tip your waitress and try the veal!)

More seriously, there's the open question as to whether a career technologist is the right person for the CEO slot, especially since he appears to still be in the trenches when it comes to projects like Rust.

Beyond that, this is a cautionary tale for potential CEOs -- within reason, you can give money to politicians and money to foundations, but once you start giving money to specific political causes you're risking a firestorm, and rightfully so. While MoCo isn't exactly a Chik-Fil-A or Hobby Lobby, this is the sort of the thing that causes PR flacks to either wake up in a cold sweat (if they're employees) or start planning the color of their new Aventador (if on agency contract).

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#3

Post by oddshocks » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:30 PM UTC

Solidarity with all developers planning to protest

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#4

Post by lawl » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:32 PM UTC

I totally see how this could upset people. But I'm not sure how his management qualities are tied to his political opinions.

It's the same with politicans, what the fuck has an affair to do with their political views?

I 100% support gay marriage. I also understand they're upset. But I don't know if this is the right reaction.

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#5

Post by Kudos » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:42 PM UTC

lawl wrote: post #4

I totally see how this could upset people. But I'm not sure how his management qualities are tied to his political opinions. It's the same with politicans, what the fuck has an affair to do with their political views? I 100% support gay marriage. I also understand they're upset. But I don't know if this is the right reaction.

Bad analogy, you don't work for the people you elect, they work for you (in theory).

If the person who had direct control over my career held discriminatory personal beliefs, I'd probably have a problem with it too.

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#6

Post by ebiester » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:43 PM UTC

lawl wrote: post #4

I totally see how this could upset people. But I'm not sure how his management qualities are tied to his political opinions. It's the same with politicans, what the fuck has an affair to do with their political views? I 100% support gay marriage. I also understand they're upset. But I don't know if this is the right reaction.

It has to do with our money (via Google ad revenue) going to a corporation headed by someone who cared enough about harming us to spend $1,000 to do so. All I can says is that when I see this from people we otherwise respect, I feel like I'm physically reliving a kick to the ribs from high school.

I'd consider it more if Prop 8 hadn't been overturned. But as it stands, he hasn't used his personal platform to speak on the subject or use Mozilla's resources to do so. If that changes, I'll reevaluate.

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#7

Post by yuchi » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:46 PM UTC

Gosh. I’m really upset not by the news about Eich as the new CEO, but about learning that such an idol in my life is anti-LGTB. I really hate this kind of situations.

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#8

Post by Aloisius » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:48 PM UTC

lawl wrote: post #4

I totally see how this could upset people. But I'm not sure how his management qualities are tied to his political opinions. It's the same with politicans, what the fuck has an affair to do with their political views? I 100% support gay marriage. I also understand they're upset. But I don't know if this is the right reaction.

There is a huge difference between a politician having an affair with someone and a person actively trying to oppress you.

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#9

Post by jack-r-abbit » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:49 PM UTC

Meh. Prop 8 passed the people's vote with 7,001,084 Californians voting in favor of it and 6,401,482 voting against. Are we to start boycotting every company that employs one of those 7 million people?

I'm glad it was made right in the end and I hope at least some of those 7 million people have changed their opinion... but I don't think we need to keep dwelling on it.

Re: Gay Firefox developers boycott Mozilla to protest CEO hire

#10

Post by IvyMike » Tue, Mar 25, 2014, 11:49 PM UTC

lawl wrote: post #4

I totally see how this could upset people. But I'm not sure how his management qualities are tied to his political opinions. It's the same with politicans, what the fuck has an affair to do with their political views? I 100% support gay marriage. I also understand they're upset. But I don't know if this is the right reaction.

Try applying it to yourself.

It may be more emotional than logical, but I personally would find it very difficult to work for someone who would deny me the right to marriage because I'm an atheist.