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Taking over from her is current board member Laura Chambers, who will now be CEO for the rest of the year.
Mitchell Baker, CEO of Mozilla Corporation, is stepping down after nearly four years in the role. She has worked at the company that manages the open-source browser Firefox for 25 years.
In an announcement on the company website yesterday (8 February), Baker said that “after much thoughtful consideration” she has decided to take up role of executive chair at Mozilla, one that she has held “with great passion” before.
“During my 25 years at Mozilla, I’ve worn many hats, and this move is driven by a desire to streamline our focus and leadership for the challenges ahead,” Baker said.
“I’ve been leading the Mozilla business through a transformative period, while also overseeing Mozilla’s broader mission. It’s become evident that both endeavours need dedicated full-time leadership.”
Replacing her is current board member Laura Chambers, who will now be CEO for the rest of the year. Chambers has been on the Mozilla board for three years and has previously held various executive positions at Airbnb, PayPal, eBay and most recently, as CEO of Willow Innovations.
“Her focus will be on delivering successful products that advance our mission and building platforms that accelerate momentum,” Baker went on.
“Laura and I will be working closely together throughout February to ensure a seamless transition, and in my role as executive chair I’ll continue to provide advice and engage in areas that touch on our unique history and Mozilla characteristics.”
According to Baker, Chambers has two important goals ahead of her. First, to “refine” the company’s vision and align the corporate and product strategy behind it. And second, to double down on core Mozilla products such as Firefox.
First released nearly two decades ago, Firefox is a free and open-source web browser developed by Mozilla. Once one of the most popular browsers on the internet and the only rival to the erstwhile dominant Internet Explorer, Firefox declined in popularity after the release of Chrome.
Today, it is the fourth most popular web browser for desktops, after Google Chrome (which leads the rest by a considerable margin), Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari.
“We’re at a critical juncture where public trust in institutions, governments and the fabric of the internet has reached unprecedented lows. There’s a tectonic shift underway as everyone battles to own the future of AI,” Baker said.
“It is Mozilla’s opportunity and imperative to forge a better future. I’m excited about Laura’s day-to-day involvement and the chance for Mozilla to achieve more. Our power lies in the collective effort of people contributing to something better and I’m eager for Mozilla to meet the needs of this era more fully.”
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