For Love, Not Money (or Leaving the Mozilla Paycheck)
Over the last three-and-a-half years, I’ve had a dream consulting gig as a Mozilla Foundation staff member.
Mozilla marked a major change for me. While I’ve worked on various electronic frontier, free software and open source projects over the last decade, working with Mozilla was the first time that I was able to focus solely on these issues without financial distractions. I still can’t believe my luck.
I also can’t believe that I’d ever want to stop being a Mozilla staffer. My colleagues are exceptional, the work is deeply rewarding, the Mozilla reputation opens most doors and Mozilla’s lovely accountants are as punctual as the sunrise.
Still, that’s where I’m at and, next Friday on March 13, I’m stepping down from my paid staff position.
When I started with Mozilla, I imagined that my passions and Mozilla’s interests would align beautifully. It’s never really happened and I’ve kept assuming that it would.
After the first year, I thought that I just needed more time to get comfortable and decided to be patient.
After the second year, I thought that I just needed more focus. I reduced my travel schedule, dropped a dozen other engagements (paid and volunteer) and worked almost exclusively with Mozilla.
After the third year, I thought that the Foundation team needed to be reinvigorated. Well, we’ve done that. Our little team is ticking along. Mark’s been a great addition, David and Frank are both powering through their projects, and in the near future we’ll have Gerv’s full attention.
The situation couldn’t be much better and it highlights the truth of what I felt at the beginning of my time at Mozilla – my passion is different than Mozilla’s passion.
Accepting this difference, it’s time for me to get back to working on my passions (and figuring out how to afford to do so.)
After reading this, it may surprise you to learn that I’ll be continuing much of my Mozilla work as a volunteer, developing the ideas in the Age of Literate Machines, continuing the Mozilla Net Effects program and working on ideas for building a broad social movement around the Mozilla values. I’m passionate about all of these things and look forward to the freedom to work on these ideas without being concerned about the immediate return on time spend or how it looks to have a Mozilla staffer going out on a limb or a hundred other small distractions.
Wish me luck! See you on the other side of a paycheck. 
The For Love, Not Money (or Leaving the Mozilla Paycheck) by , unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Posted on Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 19:12
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March 6th, 2009 at 19:34
Zak, best of luck on your future endeavours. I hope we all get a chance to hear more about your passions.
March 6th, 2009 at 19:45
Wow, quite a leap. I hope you find another gig that fits you better. Any specific ideas on what that would be?
March 6th, 2009 at 21:10
Hi Grant,
Thanks! I’ve got a few things lined up, one paid gig and one pre-angel startup. I’ll have to see what else I can rustle up.
Also, I’ve got a few other projects that I need to work on – the upcoming Open Web Conference in Vancouver, Open Webnesdays, an Crafter/Maker unconference, eLiberatica, getting back to working on FSF stuff, etc.
March 6th, 2009 at 21:10
Thanks Eugene! I’ll do my best to start blogging more about them.
March 6th, 2009 at 21:53
You opened my eyes man. That is what is actually happening to me in my company, worrying all the time about the fact that my employer/boss may know that I cannot concentrate 100% on this boring stuff (although we use the technologies I’m passionate about, the project is so boring…). I wonder if I should do the same. Before your blogpost I would have never considered it, because I consider myself a privileged person for working on opensource
March 6th, 2009 at 22:03
Zak, passion drives the things that end up mattering the most. Good luck in getting your life and your passion and your work and your momentum all aligned.
- A
March 6th, 2009 at 22:04
Thanks Asa!
March 7th, 2009 at 03:41
Of course, I’ll always follow your trails around. Wherever they may take you, I wish you good luck, my friend!
March 7th, 2009 at 08:02
I’m super excited for you, and eager to hear what is next for you!
You are one of my favorite qualities of Mozilla
It seems like it has been a good journey, and Mozilla is definitely better for it.
March 7th, 2009 at 11:57
Thanks Lloyd!
March 7th, 2009 at 11:57
Thanks Martin! It’s nice to receive all these good wishes.
March 7th, 2009 at 14:48
I recently read a piece at my hosting company championing greed as they claimed companies operating on a for-profit basis will be more likely to produce good work/offer good services; and that non-profits were essentially full of people looking to put pennies in their pocket and they could care less about what they are actually doing. This post proves them wrong. Although, the author was probably right in some instances, I think the passion of people such as yourself would outweigh anyone in the for-profit world.
March 7th, 2009 at 15:42
Amazing post. It was a pleasure to learn from you, and I hope I’ll have a chance to keep learning in the future.
Thanks for your input, I believe we need more people like you, not less, but I respect your choices and hope you’ll keep your word on staying close to your passions related to Mozilla while on the search for a perfect spot.
March 7th, 2009 at 22:21
Good luck Zak! Hope to see you at eLiberatica this year.
March 8th, 2009 at 02:56
Zak, you will succeed and achieve at whatever you turn your hand to.
Cannot wait to see what you do.
Have Fun!
March 9th, 2009 at 01:48
Good luck Zak.
I bet your secretly switching to work for more money on the Google Chrome team (-;
March 9th, 2009 at 02:22
David: I don’t think that the issues model out so simply.
Shane: Thanks Shane! Unfortunately, I’m really trying to cut down my travel and won’t be at eLiberatica this year.
Tony: Thanks for the faith and good wishes!
Rory: As often happens, you have seen through my ruse. I should have titled the post, “For Love (of Money)”
Actually, I’ve got only good wishes for the Chrome team. It’s awesome to see the browser vendor market growing and working hard.
March 11th, 2009 at 09:29
Wow.
I can relate – I find too many things that interest me, and staying within an imposed work structure is a challenge.
Time to plant a few vegetables, fruit vines and such so you can reduce your food bill?
March 12th, 2009 at 06:48
It’ll be cheaper if I can cut out the middleman and learn to live on dirt, water and sunshine.
March 15th, 2009 at 21:13
Zak.
You create your own opportunities and time and time again I’ve seen you do this very very well.
Good luck man.
– Rob.