Ask HN: Do you think Mitchell Baker (Mozilla CEO) needs replacing?
As we all know, Mozilla recently laid off 250 employees. What is strange is that they still have so many VPs. Add in the difficulty of Firefox adding real market share for Baker's entire time as CEO and questionable focus - WebVR and Pocket - which have not taken off for years and likely still years away.
Her answer to her $2.5 million compensation sounded a bit entitled or aloof for someone heading an open-source project (https://answers.thenextweb.com/s/mitchell-baker-aGY62z).
I'm definitely not a fan as you can tell but wanted to see if others have been thinking this or if there's something I'm missing.
12 comments
[ 7.7 ms ] story [ 40.6 ms ] threadThat is just ridiculous in the worst way.
Paradoxically, the small cash flush company is a nonprofit, while the larger bankrupt one is for profit.
Worse, the larger for profit company is simultaneously attempting to he a research institute, an advocacy group and a service.
I see no problem with the ceo making a "big" paycheck given the industry and location, but I do have major reservations about the seemingly directionless steering that they and their board have done.
This is not a critique of the individual research project, some of them being great, but just because Google gives you a big wad of cash does not mean you can spend it without a plan, or that you can do "everything"
I really thought both the Foundation and the Corporation were hurting.
I'm assuming the research you refer to is their WebVR thing and I get it but how do they abandon Servo as a core differentiator and then focus on something that is at best years away.
If she were performing, fine, take your $2.5 million but when you let 1/4 of your team go and should have seen it coming, I'm just not so sure it's a justification for management.
They're a browser - or should be - and the internet didn't just up and get quarantined because of the pandemic. To me, it's apparent that they saw the browser as secondary to the other items and it made no sense.
Really interesting analysis, thanks.
All the rest of the formerly 1000 employees do other things on behalf of Mozilla but generate basically no revenue.
I personally place a huge value on some of these "other" projects though such as MDN the absolute best documentation out there for the web.
I understand she has served with other tech companies before and apparently done very well - in a legal capacity. If I'm getting what you're saying, she may be very well positioned for Mozilla's legal issues but technological, likely not.