Mozilla appoints new CEO

The Board of Directors of Mozilla has announced co-founder and current Chief Technology Officer of the company, Brendan Eich as the new CEO with immediate effect.

According to a statement by Mozilla, Li Gong will be the new Chief Operating Officer and a number of functions will move under his organization including Cloud Services, IT, Marketplace, Mobile & Research, and Platform Engineering. Mitchell Baker will remain Mozilla Executive Chairwoman and will continue the long and successful partnership with Brendan as co-founders.

Brendan Eich, Mozilla co-founder, has been deeply involved in every aspect of Mozilla’s development starting from the original idea in 1998. He has deep expertise in both the technical and product sides of the organization, as well as the Web in general. His technology vision and general acumen have shaped Mozilla. He is the creator of JavaScript, a key technology of the Web.  Brendan and Mitchell’s fifteen-year history of co-founding Mozilla and working together is an asset in this time of necessary organizational and community growth, the statement continues.

Reid Hoffman, Mozilla Board Member says “Mozilla speaks for the open Web, where consumers and developers alike can prosper and express themselves free from the constraints imposed by commercial, profit-driven technologies. Mozilla’s organization and Firefox products help keep the Web balanced to every individual’s interests, and not just for the highest profit. Brendan Eich, as a founder and a well-respected innovator of Web technologies, is uniquely equipped to lead Mozilla with his deep understanding of the organization’s core values and technology vision.”