I want to clarify. Branden Eich should have absolutely been fired given the circumstances. In fact, the board should have considered the political climate, done their due research, and not have appointed him in the first place. We are entirely in agreeance on this point.
My comment goes a step beyond this situation, and tries to look at society as a whole. You're right in that, given a society full of trigger-happy ideological mobsters, you need to be extra careful in who you choose to represnt your company as leadership. I don't think many people are disagreeing with the logic of the board in removing him as a CEO of a community-driven organization.
I am simply commenting on the fact that we have come to the point that people view a person's social viewpoints as so vital and important to their position as a leader that it interrupts the (IMO more ideal) flow of aligning tech hierarchies in accordance to what I think should be the most important principle -- technical merit in designing technology and orchestrating the business strategy to achieve whatever objectives the organization has in mind.
It is my belief that socieites that prioritize technical leadership above social safeness will flourish over time above those that value social cohesion and not-rocking-the-boat-ness. There's a better phrase for that, but it's 1am.