Chairman
Mountain View - CA United States
The big idea: In 25 words or less, please tell us how this Fast 50 Nominee is helping to address the planet's problems.
Under Mitchell Baker’s leadership, the Mozilla Project has promoted the health of the Web by providing free, open source technology with the Firefox Web browser.
Please describe how this nominee is using business as a force of positive change. What technology, idea, or strategy is the nominee using -- and what problem, such as global warming, poverty, or pollution, does it address? (suggested length: 100 words)
Mitchell Baker has spent the last ten years spearheading a movement to keep the Internet free and open. In her role as “Chief Lizard Wrangler” at the Mozilla Corporation, Mitchell has overseen and motivated Mozilla’s global community of employees and volunteers who are breathing new life into the Internet through open source technologies and products, most notably the Firefox Web browser.
The key to Firefox’s success – more than 160 million users, 500 million downloads and 17 percent global market share (Net Applications, February 2008) – is due to the thousands of Mozilla community members. The community not only contributes code, but it is a key part of marketing and distributing the browser.
In addition to Mozilla Corporation employees, the Mozilla community includes volunteers who work in the open through a highly disciplined, transparent and cooperative process to coordinate the development and marketing of Mozilla technologies and products.
Mitchell has provided the leadership and vision necessary to ensure that the community continues to flourish, develops great products and that follows the principles of openness and transparency.
What are the results, both financial and social? How has the nominee's business performed, and what impact has it had on the problem it addresses? (suggested length: 100 words)
Prior to Firefox Internet Explorer enjoyed a monopoly on the browser market. Without competition, there was no drive to innovate. Consumers put up with pop-up ads and they were left vulnerable to phishing scams and malware, because they had no other options. With the launch of Firefox, consumers were presented with a simple, sleek, efficient, reliable and effective Web browser. Firefox brought on innovations such as pop-up blockers, anti-phishing features and tabbed browsing, creating a safer Web experience for consumers and a platform for innovation.
Comments that readers have made about this submission:
<3 Firefox!
Firefox and Mozilla's other products like Thunderbird and Camino are boons to those people who want to use the Internet the way THEY want to use it, not the way Microsoft deigns to allow them to use it. Mozilla also proves that "open source" is not the antithesis to commercial success, and helps pave the way for other open-source-based companies to come.
10 - I think they have done a wonderful job with making the web open using their firefox and thunderbird software.
keep up the great job.
