In response to today’s news that Google is releasing its own browser, code-named Chrome, I decide to call John Lilly, CEO of Mozilla Corp., the folks behind the fast-growing Firefox browser. My intention was to find out what Lilly thought about this development, especially since Mozilla has been viewed as close personal partner of Google’s.

The open-source browser maker depends heavily on a lucrative financial deal it has signed with the search company. The pair recently renewed the deal to last through 2011. Was Lilly worried about yet another browser in the market?

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Sometimes in life, you find an opportunity to make a difference in something you care about, and it feels like, even though you didn’t know it at the time, that the last few years have really just been practice, giving you the background, skills and ability to really help. And in a very few circumstances–once or twice in a lifetime if you’re lucky–the opportunity you get to make a difference is one that has a very large, even global impact. My new role as CEO of Mozilla Corporation feels like one of those times.

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Mozilla Corp.’s COO John Lilly has been promoted to CEO. He is taking over from Mitchell Baker, who will remain chairman.

Mozilla Corp. is the for-profit subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, which manages the open-source Internet browser Firefox and email client Thunderbird. Last week, we predicted that Mozilla Corp. would eventually go public, and we estimated that the company would be worth between $1.5 billion and $4 billion as a publicly traded entity.

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