[bzbarsky]

Google used to be the default search engine in Russia too (though I can't comment on whether they were paying for that). When it became clear that Yandex generally delivered better search results for queries in Russian, Mozilla switched to Yandex.

[ocdtrekkie]

Are you 100% sure Yandex has not provided any funding to Mozilla? "Following our review in 2014, Google remained the default provider outside the US, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Turkey, China, and other regions where we had search agreements."

[bzbarsky]

> Are you 100% sure Yandex has not provided any funding to Mozilla?

I am 100% sure it has. But the point is that all search engines are willing to create these funding deals, so that leaves the freedom to pick the ones that you think are best for users.

[ocdtrekkie]

The more accurate understanding is: All search engines are willing to create these funding deals, so you pick the biggest cash offer.

[bzbarsky]

If you're trying to maximize revenue, sure.

But the whole point is that Mozilla is trying to have revenue, obviously, but maximizing it is not a goal, as long as it covers expenses.