Mozilla fires 250 employees - a quarter of its workforce

Is the future of Firefox coming into jeopardy? After already firing 70 employees earlier this year, the foundation is now cutting another 250 jobs, which equals around 25 percent of its workforce. Mozilla says it got hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and want to focus more on paid services. A full overview of what Mozilla has in mind can be read here but the company doesn't really go into the details. The restructuring will make Mozilla smaller and more agile to respond to oppurtunities.

New focus on economics. Recognizing that the old model where everything was free has consequences, means we must explore a range of different business opportunities and alternate value exchanges. How can we lead towards business models that honor and protect people while creating opportunities for our business to thrive? How can we, or others who want a better internet, or those who feel like a different balance should exist between social and public benefit and private profit offer an alternative? We need to identify those people and join them. We must learn and expand different ways to support ourselves and build a business that isn’t what we see today.

ZD Net hints Mozilla may be slimming down because Google isn't renewing the deal to remain the default search engine in Firefox. Historically, affiliations with search engines have accounted for the bulk of Mozilla's income. The Google deal provides about 90 percent of Mozilla's income as the foundation barely has other sources of income.

Unless Google throws Mozilla a lifeline, or Microsoft steps in, the future of Firefox looks rather dim. The sad reality is that the future of Firefox depends on its biggest rivals.