While the predictable reaction to Brendan Eich’s appointment as CEO at Mozilla does make one wonder why they made it, it also raises the question of whether either that reaction or the response was appropriate.
One could argue that publicly taking any potentially unpopular political position should be considered as disqualification from any future CEOship of an enterprise that depends on a broad base of customers and contributors, but that would both limit the available talent pool and unfairly restrict the political lives of potential candidates.
Those who take pride in a “progressive victory” here should consider how they would react if the shoe was on the other foot.