Mozilla as a socially responsible business: ongoing thoughts
I got an email from a reader to my post about Mozilla as a social responsible business that said the following:
…I think the term ‘socially responsible business’ really sells Mozilla short. In my view, corporate social responsibility applies to a business that tries to conduct its work in a responsible way….But the real point in terms of Mozilla is that the organization, including the corporation, doesn’t just perform its primary mission in a responsible way…Mozilla’s primary mission is to serve the public good…
Nice articulation of what makes Mozilla different. The writer of the email also mentioned that this concept of serving the public good is “extremely different than anything ‘responsible’ that the Gap, McDonalds, or Walmart does. A company that makes software, while buying their electricity from windmills and donating to charity might be a ‘socially responsible’ software company. But a business that is designed to serve the public good, like Mozilla, goes way beyond that.”
I really appreciate the email. I think it’s important to really define what is making Mozilla different. It may seem like we are splitting hairs or having a semantic debate, but in my opinion, we’re not. A part of how we choose to operate as an organization can impact the way that others conduct business going forward.
Perhaps Mozilla as a socially responsible business sells Mozilla a bit short. But, we pursue those goals for reasons that people on Wall Street or elsewhere might not get. As this discussion evolves, it will be important for us to continue to focus on what we do…promote choice and innovation on the internet, and keep the web a free and open place, while creating great software.
