Former eBay Executive Named CEO of Mozilla Corporation

Former eBay executive Laura Chambers was named CEO of Mozilla Corporation, the company behind the open source Firefox browser (see Wikipedia). Mozilla’s current CEO Mitchell Baker will transition back to the position of Mozilla Corporation Executive Chairwoman.

Chambers, who had generally been respected by members of the eBay seller community, was one of several high-level executives who departed eBay in 2018, which activist investor Elliott Management used to criticize eBay in its pressure campaign in January 2019.

EcommerceBytes had reported in 2018 that Chambers’ exit appeared ill-timed with eBay’s transition into payments given her deep and broad management experience at both eBay and PayPal. Her 13 years at eBay Inc. included helping to launch PayPal’s Merchant Services business in 2007 and running PayPal Mobile from 2009 – 2011.

Mozilla’s Baker called Chambers a dynamic board member who will step into the CEO role for the remainder of the year. “Laura brings a wealth of experience, having been an active and impactful member of the Mozilla board for three years. With an impressive background leading product organization at Airbnb, PayPal, eBay, and most recently as CEO of Willow Innovations, Laura is well-equipped to guide Mozilla through this transitional period.”

Baker said Chambers will be focused on Mozilla Corporation’s two key goals:

1) Vision and Strategy for the Future: Refining the company’s vision and aligning the corporate and product strategy behind it. This will be grounded in our mission and unique strengths and shaped by our point of view on technology’s future and our role in it.

2) Outstanding Execution: Focus, Processes, Capabilities: Doubling down on our core products, like Firefox, and building out our capabilities and innovation pipeline to bring new compelling products to market.

In a post on LinkedIn, Chambers wrote this morning:

“I joined Mozilla Corporation as a board member 3 years ago, thrilled for the opportunity to be a part of a team making a big difference. Mozilla has a powerful legacy of shaping the internet for the better, and is uniquely positioned to continue to do so. And that really matters … this role is more important today than it has ever been. Over that time, I have been impressed and inspired by the passion of the team, and their dedication to the mission.

“Today, I am looking forward to coming in as CEO, as we continue to work hard to build a better Internet … an internet that is not dominated by negativity and divisiveness, but that celebrates, embodies and supports our deepest hopes for human progress.

“A huge thank you to @mitchellbaker for the leadership she has provided, for her support in bringing me onboard, and (in advance) for her ongoing partnership as we work together on Mozilla’s future and creating a healthier digital world for us all. #mozilla #healthyInternet #opensourcecommunity #leadership

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.