Will Mozilla die if Google is broken up?

Question

Is anyone familiar with the current work engineering culture at Mozilla? How does it compare with big tech?

In particular, most of Mozilla revenue comes from a deal with Google to make it the default search engine on Firefox.

These deals are coming under scrutiny as the SEC is cracking down on Google. So how is the future looking for Mozilla?

Also if Google is broken into pieces, they might lose their interest in pretending like they don't have a monopoly and stop supporting Mozilla altogether.

I'm also interest in hearing your thought on Mozilla's strategy. How do they survive in a world where AI requires huge capex and a disregard for privacy?

Would you join Mozilla as senior/staff engineer today?

ramenenjoyer · Accepted Answer

From what I've heard, Mozilla has great work/life balance but is generally understood to not be going anywhere internally. Leadership changes too often so the direction the business is going is never consistent and while it's relaxed, it might be too much so if you're really trying to build.

If you're considering joining Mozilla, I think it'd depend on what you want from work now. Are you looking to chill a bit or are you still building experience and trying to get better?

eightysixer · Answer

There is an open staff role at Mozilla I'd be an amazing fit for, but I'm not applying because:

1. Last time I interviewed there, I went through all rounds and then got ghosted - extremely unprofessional

2. Mozilla is cooked, their strategy for the last 2+ years has been "find alternative income streams to the Google/Firefox deal" and they have quite plainly failed, and once that deal is gone it is likely existential for them

I love everything else about them, including the culture and the people there. But I think the upside is very limited compared to the downside - it's like joining a startup with maybe a year of runway, and no equity comp. Maybe the courts find a way to save Google funding for Mozilla but I wouldn't count on that.

Will Mozilla die if Google is broken up?

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