Brendan Eich
Eich in 2012
Born4 July 1961 (1961-07-04) (age 62)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US
Alma materUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Santa Clara University
Websitebrendaneich.com

Brendan Eich (/ˈaɪk/; born July 4, 1961)[1] is an American computer programmer and technology executive. He created the JavaScript programming language and co-founded the Mozilla project, the Mozilla Foundation, and the Mozilla Corporation. He served as the Mozilla Corporation's chief technical officer before he was appointed chief executive officer, but resigned shortly after his appointment due to pressure over his firm opposition to same-sex marriage. He subsequently became the CEO of Brave Software.

Early life

Eich grew up in Pittsburgh; Gaithersburg, Maryland; and Palo Alto,[2] where he attended Ellwood P. Cubberley High School, graduating in the class of 1979. He received his bachelor's degree in mathematics and computer science at Santa Clara University,[2] and he received his master's degree in 1985 from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.[2] Eich is Roman Catholic.[1]

He began his career at Silicon Graphics, working for seven years on operating system and network code.[3] He then worked for three years at MicroUnity Systems Engineering writing microkernel and DSP code.[citation needed]

Career

Netscape

Eich started work at Netscape Communications Corporation in April 1995. He originally joined intending to put Scheme "in the browser",[4] but his Netscape superiors insisted that the language's syntax resemble that of Java. As a result, Eich devised a language that had much of the functionality of Scheme, the object-orientation of Self, and the syntax of Java. He completed the first version in ten days in order to accommodate the Navigator 2.0 Beta release schedule.[4][5] At first the language was called Mocha, but it was renamed LiveScript in September 1995 and finally – in a joint announcement with Sun Microsystems – it was named JavaScript in December.[6] Simultaneously, he designed the first SpiderMonkey engine, to execute the new language in the Navigator browser.

When Mozilla inherited the Netscape base code in 1998, it included this engine, which was written in the C language.[7] It was then changed in JavaScript 1.5 to comply with the ECMA-262 standard.[citation needed] Eich continued to oversee the development of SpiderMonkey, the specific implementation of JavaScript in Navigator.[7]

Mozilla

In early 1998, Eich co-founded the free and open-source software project Mozilla with Jamie Zawinski and others, creating the mozilla.org website, which was meant to manage open-source contributions to the Netscape source code. He served as Mozilla's chief architect.[8] AOL bought Netscape in 1999. After AOL shut down the Netscape browser unit in July 2003, Eich helped spin out the Mozilla Foundation.[9]

In August 2005, after serving as a lead technologist and as a member of the board of directors of the Mozilla Foundation, Eich became chief technical officer (CTO) of the newly founded Mozilla Corporation, meant to be the Mozilla Foundation's for-profit arm.[9] Eich continued to "own" the Mozilla SpiderMonkey module, its JavaScript engine, until he passed the ownership of it to Dave Mandolin in 2011.[7]

Appointment to CEO and resignation

On March 24, 2014, Mozilla made the decision to appoint Eich as CEO of Mozilla Corporation.[10][11][12] The appointment triggered widespread criticism due to Eich's past political donations[10][13][14][15] – specifically, a 2008 donation of $1,000 to California Proposition 8, which called for the banning of same-sex marriage in California,[16] and donations in the amount of $2,100 to Proposition 8 supporter Tom McClintock between 2008 and 2010.[17] The Wall Street Journal initially reported that, in protest against his coming appointment, half of Mozilla's board (Gary Kovacs, John Lilly, and Ellen Siminoff) stepped down,[18][19][20][21] leaving Mitchell Baker, Reid Hoffman, and Katharina Borchert.[22] CNET later reported that of the three board members who had gone, only Lilly left due to Eich's appointment.[22] Lilly told The New York Times, "I left rather than appoint him", and declined to elaborate further.[23]

On March 26, 2014, Eich expressed "sorrow for causing pain" and pledged to "work with LGBT communities and allies" at Mozilla.[24][17][18] Some of the activists created an online campaign against Eich, with online dating site OkCupid automatically displaying a message to Firefox users with information about Eich's donation, and suggesting that users switch to a different browser (although giving them a link to continue with Firefox).[25][26][27] CREDO Mobile collected more than 50,000 signatures demanding that Eich resign.[12][28]

After 11 days as CEO, Eich resigned on April 3, 2014, and left Mozilla over his opposition to same-sex marriage.[29][30][31] In his personal blog, he posted, "under the present circumstances, I cannot be an effective leader".[32][33] Mozilla made a press release saying that board members tried to get Eich to stay in the company in a different role, but that he had chosen to sever ties for the time being.[34]

Brave Software

Eich is the co-founder and CEO of Brave Software, an Internet browser platform company that raised $2.5 million in early funding from angel investors like Founders Fund, Foundation Capital, and Digital Currency Group.[35] In January 2016, the company released developer versions of its open-source, Chromium-based and privacy-focused Brave web browser,[36] which blocks ads and trackers,[37][38] and features built-in Tor-connected tabs.

At Brave Software, Eich co-created the Basic Attention Token (BAT), a cryptocurrency designed for use in the Brave browser. BAT launched its ICO on May 31, 2017, and raised $35 million.[39]

In 2020, the New York Times reported that Eich's comments about "the policy and science related to the coronavirus" on Twitter caused a backlash within the browser's userbase, commenting that this echoed the criticism that led to his resignation from Mozilla.[40]

References

  1. ^ a b Brendan Eich: JavaScript, Firefox, Mozilla, and Brave | Lex Fridman Podcast #160, retrieved July 18, 2021, Not too much, I'm Roman Catholic, so I am not afraid of death.
  2. ^ a b c Lohr, Steve (September 9, 1996). "Part Artist, Part Hacker And Full-Time Programmer". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  3. ^ Bellis, Mary. "The History of JavaScript". About.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012..
  4. ^ a b Saternos, Casimir (2014). Client-Server Web Apps with JavaScript and Java. O'Reilly Media. pp. 32–. ISBN 978-1449369330. LCCN 2015300474. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  5. ^ Severance, Charles (February 23, 2012). "JavaScript: Designing a Language in 10 Days" (PDF). Computer. Vol. 45, no. 2. pp. 7–8. doi:10.1109/MC.2012.57. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  6. ^ Koch, Peter-Paul. "JavaScript: General introduction". QuirksMode. Retrieved February 12, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c Eich, Brendan (June 21, 2011). "New JavaScript Engine Module Owner". Archived from the original on April 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Seibel, Peter (2009). "Brendan Eich". Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming. Apress. pp. 132–. ISBN 978-1430219484. LCCN 2011414796. Retrieved April 4, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Mozilla Foundation Forms New Organization to Further the Creation of Free, Open Source Internet Software, Including the Award-Winning Mozilla Firefox Browser" (Press release). Mozilla Foundation. August 3, 2005. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2011. Brendan Eich, a co-founder and long-time technical leader of the Mozilla project, will become the chief technical officer of the Mozilla Corporation.
  10. ^ a b Machkovech, Sam (March 27, 2014). "Mozilla employees tell Brendan Eich he needs to "step down"". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on April 28, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020. "I love @mozilla but I'm disappointed this week," McAvoy said, referring to the controversial decision to appoint Eich as CEO after he had donated thousands to both California's Proposition 8 and political candidates who supported it.
  11. ^ Otto, Greg (April 1, 2014). "Mozilla continues to take heat over CEO appointment". Washington Business Journal. Archived from the original on April 5, 2014. Retrieved May 25, 2020. The donation, made when Eich was Mozilla's chief technical officer and public knowledge since 2012, reignited when Eich was appointed CEO on March 24.
  12. ^ a b Barr, Alistair (April 4, 2014). "Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich Steps Down". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  13. ^ Fiegerman, Seth (April 14, 2014). "Mozilla Names Former CMO as Interim CEO". Mashable. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2020. The appointment comes a week and a half after Brendan Eich stepped down as CEO amid widespread criticism of a donation he made in 2008 to Proposition 8, an initiative that aimed to ban same-sex marriage in California.
  14. ^ Lynch, Shana (April 14, 2014). "Mozilla names Chris Beard as interim CEO". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2020. Eich, Mozilla's former CTO, was head of the organization for less than two weeks before widespread criticism over his support of Proposition 8, the California bill that banned gay marriage, forced him to resign.((cite news)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ^ Machkovech, Sam (April 3, 2014). "The Employees Have Spoken: Mozilla's CEO Steps Down". Inc. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2020. Numerous Mozilla employees took to Twitter and other social media outlets to voice their disapproval.
  16. ^ Gray, Stephen (April 4, 2012). "JavaScript inventor gave $1,000 to support California's gay marriage ban". PinkNews. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  17. ^ a b Machkovech, Sam (March 26, 2014). "New Mozilla CEO issues statement, expresses "sorrow for causing pain"". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  18. ^ a b Barr, Alistair (March 28, 2014). "Three Mozilla Board Members Resign over Choice of New CEO". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.((cite news)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. ^ Lowensohn, Josh (March 28, 2014). "Half of Mozilla's board reportedly resign over new CEO choice". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019.
  20. ^ Machkovech, Sam (March 28, 2014). "Three Mozilla board members—including former CEOs—step down [Updated]". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on May 23, 2020.
  21. ^ Shankland, Stephen (March 28, 2014). "Objecting to new CEO, resignations sweep Mozilla board: Report". CNET. Archived from the original on October 31, 2018. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Shankland, Stephen (June 13, 2014). "Mozilla under fire: Inside the 9-day reign of fallen CEO Brendan Eich". CNET. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
  23. ^ Hardy, Quentin; Bilton, Nick (April 4, 2014). "Personality and Change Inflamed Mozilla Crisis". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2020. Mr. Lilly, now a venture capitalist with Greylock Partners, resigned from the Mozilla board two weeks ago, ahead of Mr. Eich's appointment. "I left rather than appoint him," he said, declining to elaborate further.
  24. ^ "Inclusiveness at Mozilla". brendaneich.com. March 26, 2014.
  25. ^ Netburn, Deborah (April 4, 2012). "Brendan Eich's Prop. 8 contribution gets Twittersphere buzzing". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2012.
  26. ^ Johnston, Ian (April 1, 2014). "OkCupid calls for Firefox boycott to protest anti-gay marriage CEO Brendan Eich". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 12, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
  27. ^ Byrdum, Sunnivie (March 26, 2014). "OkCupid calls for Firefox boycott to protest anti-gay marriage CEO Brendan Eich". The Advocate. Archived from the original on November 30, 2019.
  28. ^ Nyquist, J. Paul (2017). Is Justice Possible?: The Elusive Pursuit of What is Right. Moody Publishers. ISBN 978-0802495105. LCCN 2016045871. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  29. ^ Newton, Casey (April 3, 2014). "Outfoxed: how protests forced Mozilla's CEO to resign in 11 days". The Verge. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  30. ^ Watts, Joseph (April 4, 2014). "Mozilla boss Brendan Eich quits in row over his opposition to gay". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  31. ^ Lee, Dave (April 4, 2014). "Mozilla boss quits following gay row". BBC News. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  32. ^ Kim, Susanna (April 3, 2014). "Mozilla CEO Resigns After Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Campaign Donation". ABC News. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2020.((cite news)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  33. ^ Baker, Mitchell (April 3, 2014). "Brendan Eich steps down as Mozilla CEO". The Mozilla Blog. Mozilla Foundation. Archived from the original on February 20, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  34. ^ McAllister, Neil (April 8, 2014). "Gay marriage foes outraged at Mozilla CEO flap, call for boycott". The Register. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2014. In fact, Board members tried to get Brendan to stay at Mozilla in another role," the group stated in an FAQ posted on Saturday. "Brendan decided that it was better for himself and for Mozilla to sever all ties, at least for now.
  35. ^ Shankland, Stephen (November 17, 2015). "Mystery startup from ex-Mozilla CEO aims to go where tech titans won't". CNET. Archived from the original on January 25, 2018.
  36. ^ Protalinski, Emil (November 13, 2019). "Ad-blocking browser Brave launches out of beta". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on May 15, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  37. ^ Dent, Steve (July 1, 2019). "Brave web browser is really fast at blocking ads". Engadget. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  38. ^ Keizer, Gregg (July 24, 2018). "The Brave browser basics – what it does, how it differs from rivals". Computerworld. Archived from the original on May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020. Brave also eliminates all ad trackers, the often-tiny page components advertisers and site publishers deploy to identify users so that they know what other sites those users visit or have visited.
  39. ^ Russell, Jon (June 1, 2017). "Former Mozilla CEO raises $35M in under 30 seconds for his browser startup Brave". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  40. ^ Popper, Nathaniel (December 22, 2020). "Covid comments get a tech C.E.O. in hot water, again". The New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2022.

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Preceded byGary Kovacs CEO of Mozilla Corporation March 24, 2014 – April 3, 2014 Succeeded byChris Beard
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