5 ms·

While I understand the frustration, it's unclear to me what the expected solution is for Mozilla. Pay the CEO less until the company does better? Ok but the CEO

While I understand the frustration, it's unclear to me what the expected solution is for Mozilla. Pay the CEO less until the company does better? Ok but the CEO will presumably just find a higher paying job elsewhere. Then what? Find a cheaper CEO? How does that help fix the slipping market share for Firefox?

adamt 6y ago
Better align executive pay with business performance from the beginning. If the business is failing then parting company with the CEO is working as intended.
ponker 6y ago
What’s so great about this CEO? Would a cheaper CEO do worse?
- therealx 6y ago
  I agree, I dont think this CEO is special. His argument is flawed on that premise alone. I think they should pull an MS and promote the CIO or a lead engineer.
  - krick 6y ago
    They fired everyone who would've been worth promoting already.
byset 6y ago
With her doubtful record of success, it is questionable that the CEO really could find a higher paying job elsewhere. And Mozilla's poor track record suggests that if Mozilla insists on paying the same CEO salary, they might do well to find a different CEO to give it to. I think the point is less that this CEO should take a pay cut — although she probably should — but more that the mediocrity + layoffs + exorbitant-CEO-salary situation here reeks of self-dealing.
gwd 6y ago
> Find a cheaper CEO? Find a CEO whose motivation is more "make the world a better place" than "make millions of dollars a year". $500k is a large enough salary to live well just about anywhere. After that it's just "victory points" in the game of careerism.
baq 6y ago
yes. it helps by reducing burn rate of good money.
bambax 6y ago
Modern CEO pay is a cargo-cult. Companies pay CEO insane amounts because "everybody else does it" and "it helps hire the best". These theories are untested, except that we now know for certain that paying $2.5M doesn't guarantee that the CEO is any good. I would bet you can hire an excellent, technically competent CEO for Mozilla for $250k a year.
- tingol 6y ago
  We knew that already, did everyone forget the Yahoo fiasco?
- throwaway983249 6y ago
  Mozilla's last three CEOs (Baker, Beard and Eich) all had worked at Mozilla before. Mozilla appears unable to recruit outside CEOs even with its current CEO compensation.
- zoredache 6y ago
  > I would bet you can hire an excellent, technically competent CEO for Mozilla for $250k a year. But how long would they stay after other companies learn this new person is actually competent and start throwing money at them.

adamt 6y ago

Better align executive pay with business performance from the beginning. If the business is failing then parting company with the CEO is working as intended.

ponker 6y ago

What’s so great about this CEO? Would a cheaper CEO do worse?

therealx 6y ago
I agree, I dont think this CEO is special. His argument is flawed on that premise alone. I think they should pull an MS and promote the CIO or a lead engineer.
- krick 6y ago
  They fired everyone who would've been worth promoting already.

byset 6y ago

With her doubtful record of success, it is questionable that the CEO really could find a higher paying job elsewhere. And Mozilla's poor track record suggests that if Mozilla insists on paying the same CEO salary, they might do well to find a different CEO to give it to. I think the point is less that this CEO should take a pay cut — although she probably should — but more that the mediocrity + layoffs + exorbitant-CEO-salary situation here reeks of self-dealing.

gwd 6y ago

> Find a cheaper CEO? Find a CEO whose motivation is more "make the world a better place" than "make millions of dollars a year". $500k is a large enough salary to live well just about anywhere. After that it's just "victory points" in the game of careerism.

baq 6y ago

yes. it helps by reducing burn rate of good money.

bambax 6y ago

Modern CEO pay is a cargo-cult. Companies pay CEO insane amounts because "everybody else does it" and "it helps hire the best". These theories are untested, except that we now know for certain that paying $2.5M doesn't guarantee that the CEO is any good. I would bet you can hire an excellent, technically competent CEO for Mozilla for $250k a year.

tingol 6y ago
We knew that already, did everyone forget the Yahoo fiasco?
throwaway983249 6y ago
Mozilla's last three CEOs (Baker, Beard and Eich) all had worked at Mozilla before. Mozilla appears unable to recruit outside CEOs even with its current CEO compensation.
zoredache 6y ago
> I would bet you can hire an excellent, technically competent CEO for Mozilla for $250k a year. But how long would they stay after other companies learn this new person is actually competent and start throwing money at them.