Skip to main content

Mozilla names marketing exec Chris Beard as interim CEO after Brendan Eich resignation

mozilla ceo open letter windows 10 browser defaults chris beard
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Mozilla, the firm that operates Firefox, one of the world’s most popular Web browsers, announced today via an official blog post that they have named Chris Beard to the post of interim CEO of Mozilla. Beard will also become a member of Mozilla’s Board of Directors. This comes after Brendan Eich, Mozilla’s former, short-lived CEO, resigned roughly a week and a half ago after it was revealed that he donated to a political campaign in 2008 which opposed gay marriage in California.

In the blog post, Mitchell Baker, Mozilla’s Executive Chairwoman, expanded on the firm’s decision to name Beard as its interim CEO.

Recommended Videos

“In this time of transition there is no better person to lead us. Chris has one of the clearest visions of how to take the Mozilla mission and turn it into programs and activities and product ideas that I have ever seen. In the early years at Mozilla he was responsible for leading the Mozilla product, marketing and innovation teams. More recently, Chris was our CMO, leading user, developer and community engagement activities globally, including the initial launches of Firefox on Android and Firefox OS at MWC.”

Baker also referenced the recent controversy surrounding the rise and fall of Brendan Eich in the blog post.

“We intend to use recent events as a catalyst to develop and expand Mozilla’s leadership. Appointing Chris as our interim CEO is a first step in this process.”

Considering the firestorm that erupted after Eich’s appointment to the role of CEO, Mozilla had no choice but to name a safe pick to the position, while promising to learn from the experience. Given recent events, the hiring of Chris Beard and his history, both professional and personal, will likely be given a strong look-over by the tech, business, and news communities. 

Image credit: http://www.greylock.com

Konrad Krawczyk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Konrad covers desktops, laptops, tablets, sports tech and subjects in between for Digital Trends. Prior to joining DT, he…
30 early Black Friday deals for 2024: TVs, laptops, headphones
Digital Trends Best Black Friday Amazon Deals

Update (11/5/24) -- We've adding some additional deals as the sales start to ramp up. We're officially in Black Friday month.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are some of the best periods in the year to snag yourself some great deals, especially when it comes to electronics such as the best laptops, best TVs, best headphones, best washer and dryer packages, and an absolute ton more. Even though Black Friday is going to fall on November 29, which is still a few weeks away, we're already seeing a lot of great early Black Friday deals that you can take advantage of, even this far back from the event. Luckily, you don't have to go and sift through all the sales on offer, as we've gone out and collected some of our favorite early Black Friday deals across the board.
SAMSUNG Galaxy SmartTag2 -- $21 $30 29% off

Read more
The MacBook Air may have officially met its match
HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 front view showing display and keyboard.

The MacBook Air has dominated the $1,000 price point for the past few years, and the most recent M3 upgrade (and subsequent bump to 16GB of RAM in the base model), has made it even better.

But there's an unexpected challenger for the crown of best laptops. The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14. Don't get turned off by the name. It's powered by Intel's new Core Ultra Series 2 chips, which brings a surprising amount of battery life into play. The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 may not outright defeat the MacBook Air, but it gets incredibly close.
Specs and configurations

Read more
AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is now almost $50 cheaper than it was two months ago
The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X between two finger tips.

AMD's Zen 5 processors are still fresh out of the oven -- they were only released a little over two months ago. As they struggle to find their footing among some of the best processors, they've been getting discounted regularly ever since, and that certainly helps. Today's deals bring the Ryzen 5 9600X down by nearly $50 when compared to its recommended list price.

The Ryzen 5 9600X is the most budget-friendly chip in the new lineup. It started out with a recommended price (MSRP) of $280, which is $10 less than its predecessor.  That adjustment was nice to see, but the 9600X was still much pricier than the 7600X upon launch, as the Zen 4 chip received numerous price cuts since it first hit the shelves. Right now, it's priced at $225, but I've seen it sell for much less.

Read more