Like many of us I suspect, I have long been a fairly passive “end-user” of the internet. In my daily life, I’ve merrily skipped along it to simplify and accelerate my life, to be entertained, to connect with far-flung friends and family, and to navigate my daily life. In my career in Silicon Valley, I’ve happily used it as a trusty building block to help build many consumer technologies and brands – in roles leading turnarounds and transformations at market-creating companies like eBay, PayPal, Skype, Airbnb, and most recently as CEO of Willow Innovations Inc.
But over the past few years, my relationship with the internet has significantly changed. We’ve all had to face up to the cracks and flaws … many of which have been there for a while, but have recently opened into gaping chasms that we can’t ignore. The impact of curated platforms and data misuse on families, friendships, communities, politics and the global landscape has been staggering. And it’s hit close to home … I have three young children, all of whom are getting online much faster and earlier than expected, due to the craziness of homeschooling, and my concerns about their safety and privacy are tremendous. All of a sudden, my happy glances at the internet have been replaced with side-eyes of mistrust.
So last year, in between juggling new jobs, home-offices full of snoring dogs, and home schooling, I started to think about what I could do to help. In that journey, I was incredibly fortunate to connect with the team at Mozilla. As I learned more about the team, met the talented people at the helm, and dove into their incredible mission to ensure the internet is free, open and accessible to all, I couldn’t think of a better way to do something practical and meaningful to help than through joining the Board.
The opportunity ahead is astounding … using the power of the open internet to make the world a better, freer, more positively connected place. Mozilla has an extraordinary legacy of leading that charge, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be join the exceptional group driving toward a much better future. I look forward to us all once again being able to merrily skip along our daily lives, with the internet as our trusty guide and friend along the way.
