[plipt]

Is Google paying Mozilla to sabotage themselves?

Stay in business, so monopoly arguments can be brushed aside.

But slowly erode privacy on the internet. And slowly lose user base.

[boomboomsubban]

They just lost a monopoly case because they paid Mozilla all that money, this theory has always made little sense and sticking to it now makes even less.

[EMIRELADERO]

In fact, one could argue that Google losing its case is what caused this. Google provided a substantial amount of revenue to Mozilla. With that now gone, new ways(TM) to get money are needed.

[Zamiel_Snawley]

They really don’t need more revenue. They are nominally a not-for-profit and in 2023, they had 250 million cash and a billion more in investments.

They’ve taken billions of dollars from Google since 2005, and now they’re turning their back on user privacy.

[boomboomsubban]

They spend well over 200 million a year in software development, and they've made those investments presumably expecting this revenue issue.

Building a browser is expensive, that's why there's only two of them. Even Microsoft considered it too expensive to continue.

[Zamiel_Snawley]

I’m not informed enough to analyze the real cost of developing a web browser.

However, Microsoft’s mission is profits for shareholders so their calculus ought to be different than Mozilla’s.

It makes sense for a profit-seeking entity to surrender if they don’t see a path for a return on the investment, not so for Mozilla.

[boomboomsubban]

>I’m not informed enough to analyze the real cost of developing a web browser.

Then why post strong comments about how much funding Mozilla needs?

The calculus is very different. IE could be developed at a 100% loss for the company if it still otherwise helped Microsoft, which is what happened. Chrome operates similarly.

Firefox needs to generate enough money to sustain itself indefinitely. So when there are signs their main source of funding may vanish, they need to keep a war chest together and have investments to weather any oncoming storm. Otherwise they just collapse.

[EasyMark]

that's true, but now google will appeal it and with the new regime in place they will withdraw the case and give google a win.

[asddubs]

they also couldn't have timed this better with the manifestv3 thing

[slig]

Yes, of course. If Mozilla decided to do what other user here suggested (`spend $15M on a team of 20+ highly competent full time developers for Firefox, put $450M into a trust to fund future development`) I doubt that the 500M/year would continue flowing.