Mozilla, the company behind the open source Firefox browser, announced today that Mitchell Baker will step down as CEO to focus on AI and internet safety as chair of the nonprofit foundation. Laura Chambers, a Mozilla board member and entrepreneur with experience at Airbnb, PayPal and eBay, will serve as interim CEO until a permanent replacement is found. luck: Baker, a Silicon Valley pioneer who co-founded the Mozilla project, said it was her decision to step down as CEO, adding that the move was motivated by a crisis in the state of the internet and public trust. “We want to give people an alternative way to get a better product,” Baker says. He wants to draw more attention to policies, products and processes that challenge business models built on stoking anger. “What does this global recession have to do with how humans interact with each other and with technology?”
Chambers said the company plans to focus on building new products that address growing privacy concerns while actively searching for a full-time CEO. Before he was hired to Mozilla's board three years ago, Chambers said he felt “quite disillusioned” with society because of the influence of money in politics and the growing power of big tech. “I was confused about what to do, but I felt like this was a real way to make an impact.” Mr Chambers said he will be returning to Australia later this year for family reasons, so he will be taking up the permanent position. He said he has no intention of seeking the CEO position. “I think this is an example of Mozilla doing good role modeling in terms of how to manage succession,” he says Chambers.
