Winifred Mitchell Baker (born 1957) is the Executive Chairwoman and
CEO of the
Mozilla Foundation
The Mozilla Foundation (stylized as moz://a) is an American non-profit organization that exists to support and collectively lead the open source Mozilla project. Founded in July 2003, the organization sets the policies that govern development, ...
and of
Mozilla Corporation
The Mozilla Corporation (stylized as moz://a) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation that coordinates and integrates the development of Internet-related applications such as the Firefox web browser, by a global community of ope ...
, a
subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation that coordinates development of the
open source Mozilla Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
applications, including the
Mozilla Firefox web browser
A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used o ...
.
Baker was trained as a lawyer. She coordinates business and policy issues and sits on both the Mozilla Foundation
Board of Directors and the Mozilla Corporation Board of Directors. In 2005, ''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' included her in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Education and early employment
Baker received a
BA in
Chinese studies
Sinology, or Chinese studies, is an academic discipline that focuses on the study of China primarily through Chinese philosophy, language, literature, culture and history and often refers to Western scholarship. Its origin "may be traced to the ...
at the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in 1979, achieving a Certificate of Distinction. She received her
JD from the
Boalt Hall School of Law,
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in 1987 and was admitted to the
State Bar of California in the same year.
From January 1990 until October 1993, she worked as a Corporate and Intellectual Property Associate at
Fenwick & West LLP, a law practice that specialises in providing legal services to high technology companies. She then worked for
Sun Microsystems as an Associate
General Counsel
A general counsel, also known as chief counsel or chief legal officer (CLO), is the chief in-house lawyer for a company or a governmental department.
In a company, the person holding the position typically reports directly to the CEO, and their ...
from November 1993 until October 1994.
Netscape Communications Corporation and mozilla.org
In November 1994, Baker was hired as one of the first employees of the legal department of
Netscape Communications Corporation
Netscape Communications Corporation (originally Mosaic Communications Corporation) was an American independent computer services company with headquarters in Mountain View, California and then Dulles, Virginia. Its Netscape web browser was onc ...
.
Reporting directly to
CEO Jim Barksdale, she jointly set up the initial department. She was responsible for
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
protection and legal issues relating to product development, reporting to the General Counsel. She also created and managed the Technology Group of the Legal Department. She was involved with the Mozilla project from the outset, writing both the
Netscape Public License and the
Mozilla Public License. In February 1999, Baker became the general manager of
mozilla.org
The Mozilla Foundation (stylized as moz://a) is an American non-profit organization that exists to support and collectively lead the Open-source software, open source Mozilla project. Founded in July 2003, the organization sets the policies tha ...
, the division of Netscape that coordinated the Mozilla open source project. In 2001, she was fired during a round of layoffs at
America Online, by then the parent of Netscape.
Despite this, she continued to serve as general manager of mozilla.org on a volunteer basis.
Open Source Applications Foundation
In November 2002, Baker was employed by the
Open Source Applications Foundation, helping to guide the group's community relations and taking a seat on OSAF's Board of Directors.
Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation
Baker was instrumental in the creation of the
Mozilla Foundation
The Mozilla Foundation (stylized as moz://a) is an American non-profit organization that exists to support and collectively lead the open source Mozilla project. Founded in July 2003, the organization sets the policies that govern development, ...
, an independent
non-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
that was launched on July 15, 2003, as America Online shut down the Netscape browser division and drastically scaled back its involvement with the Mozilla project. Baker became the President of the Mozilla Foundation and was appointed to the five-person Board of Directors.
When the
Mozilla Corporation
The Mozilla Corporation (stylized as moz://a) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation that coordinates and integrates the development of Internet-related applications such as the Firefox web browser, by a global community of ope ...
was launched as a
tax
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
able subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation on August 3, 2005, Baker was named the CEO of the new entity. In addition, she joined the Mozilla Corporation's Board of Directors, though she also kept her seat on the Mozilla Foundation's board, as well as her role as Chairperson.
On January 8, 2008, Mozilla announced that Baker, while retaining her role as Chairperson of the Mozilla Foundation, would no longer serve as CEO of the Corporation, and that MoCo's Chief Operating Officer
John Lilly would take over this role.
The reasons cited for this change was Mozilla's rapid growth, which made it difficult for executives to continue to take on many different roles.
In April 2020 she was named CEO of Mozilla Corporation again.
Negative salary-achievements correlation controversy
In 2018 she received a total of $2,458,350 in compensation from Mozilla, which represents a 400% payrise since 2008. On the same period, Firefox marketshare was down 85%. When asked about her salary she stated "I learned that my pay was about an 80% discount to market. Meaning that competitive roles elsewhere were paying about 5 times as much. That's too big a discount to ask people and their families to commit to."
In 2020, after returning to the position of CEO, her salary had risen to over $3 million. In the same year the Mozilla Corporation laid off approximately 250 employees due to shrinking revenues. Baker blamed this on the Coronavirus pandemic.
Awards and recognition
Mitchell Baker was listed among the 2005 Top 100 by
''Time'', in the "Scientists & Thinkers" section.
In 2009, Baker received the
Anita Borg Institute Women of Vision Award for
Leadership
Leadership, both as a research area and as a practical skill, encompasses the ability of an individual, group or organization to "lead", influence or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations. The word "leadership" often gets vi ...
.
In 2012, Baker was inducted into the
Internet Hall of Fame
The Internet Hall of Fame is an honorary lifetime achievement award administered by the Internet Society (ISOC) in recognition of individuals who have made significant contributions to the development and advancement of the Internet. by the
Internet Society
The Internet Society (ISOC) is an American nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1992 with local chapters around the world. Its mission is "to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of all people ...
.
Personal life
Baker's husband is Casey Dunn.
She has one son.
References
External links
Firefox, Community and Lizard Wrangling Mitchell Baker speaks at Stanford University
Mitchell Baker's weblog(includes information about Baker's role at the
Mozilla Foundation
The Mozilla Foundation (stylized as moz://a) is an American non-profit organization that exists to support and collectively lead the open source Mozilla project. Founded in July 2003, the organization sets the policies that govern development, ...
)
OSAF Mitchell Baker biographyBBC Profile of Mitchell Baker for series ''Valley Girls''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Mitchell
Netscape people
Living people
1957 births
Businesspeople from Oakland, California
Mozilla people
Lawyers from Oakland, California
American chairpersons of corporations
American technology chief executives
American women chief executives
Women Internet pioneers
UC Berkeley School of Law alumni
UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni
20th-century American businesswomen
20th-century American businesspeople
21st-century American businesswomen
21st-century American businesspeople
20th-century American lawyers