Mozilla downsizes because it refocuses on Firefox and AI: Learn the memo

After installing a brand new interim CEO earlier this month, Mozilla, the group behind the Firefox browser, is making some main adjustments to its product technique, TechCrunch has realized.

Particularly, Mozilla plans to reduce its funding in quite a few merchandise, together with its VPN, Relay and, considerably remarkably, its On-line Footprint Scrubber, which launched only a week ago. Mozilla can even shut down Hubs, the 3D digital world it launched again in 2018, and reduce its funding in its mozilla.social Mastodon occasion. The layoffs will have an effect on roughly 60 workers. Bloomberg beforehand reported the layoffs.

Going ahead, the corporate stated in an inside memo, Mozilla will concentrate on bringing “trustworthy AI into Firefox.” To take action, it’ll deliver collectively the groups that work on Pocket, Content material and AI/Ml.

Mozilla began increasing its product portfolio lately, all whereas its flagship product, Firefox, stored dropping market share. And whereas the group was typically sharply criticized for this, its management argued that diversifying its product portfolio past Firefox was needed to make sure Mozilla’s survival in the long term. Firefox, in spite of everything, supplied the overwhelming majority of Mozilla’s revenue, but it surely additionally meant the group was primarily depending on Google to proceed this deal. With these adjustments, it now appears like Mozilla could refocus on Firefox as soon as extra, one thing that may certainly make many hardcore Firefox followers fairly glad.

Right here is the total inside memo:

Scaling again funding mozilla.social: With mozilla.social, we made a giant wager in 2023 to construct a safer, higher social media expertise, based mostly on Mastodon and the Fediverse. Our preliminary method was based mostly on a perception that Mozilla wanted to rapidly attain massive scale with a purpose to successfully form the way forward for social media. It was a noble concept however one we struggled to execute. Whereas we resourced mozilla.social closely to pursue this formidable concept, looking back a extra modest method would have enabled us to take part within the house with significantly larger agility. The actions we’re taking at the moment will make this strategic correction, working by means of a a lot smaller workforce to take part within the Mastodon ecosystem and extra quickly deliver smaller experiments to those that select to reside on the mozilla.social occasion.

Safety Experimentation & Identification (PXI): We’re scaling again funding in a few of our standalone client merchandise within the Safety and Privateness house. We’re lowering funding in market segments that rivals crowd and the place it’s difficult to ship a differentiated providing. Particularly, we plan to cut back our investments in VPN, Relay, and On-line Footprint Scrubber. We are going to preserve funding in merchandise addressing buyer wants in rising market segments.

Hubs: Since early 2023, now we have skilled a shift out there for 3D digital worlds. Except for gaming, training, and a handful of area of interest use circumstances, demand has moved away from 3D digital worlds. That is impacting all trade gamers. Hubs’ consumer and buyer bases are usually not strong sufficient to justify persevering with to dedicate assets towards the headwinds of the unfavorable shift in demand. We are going to wind down the service and talk a swish exit plan to prospects.

Proper-sizing the Folks Group
Given the discount in staffing and decrease headcount finances transferring ahead in MozProd, some roles have been consolidated within the Folks and different assist providers orgs in order that we’re providing the fitting stage of assist to our product portfolio. Optimizing our org to sharpen focus.

In 2023, generative AI started quickly shifting the trade panorama. Mozilla seized a possibility to deliver reliable AI into Firefox, largely pushed by the Fakespot acquisition and the product integration work that adopted. Moreover, discovering nice content material continues to be a essential use case for the web. Subsequently, as a part of the adjustments at the moment, we shall be bringing collectively Pocket, Content material, and the AI/ML groups supporting content material with the Firefox Group. Extra particulars on the particular organizational adjustments will observe shortly. Inside MozProd, there aren’t any adjustments inside MDN, Advertisements, or Fakespot. There are additionally no adjustments to Authorized/Coverage, Finance & Enterprise Operations, Advertising, or Technique & Operations.