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Mozilla lays off 60 people, wants to build AI into Firefox

Feb 14, 2024 - arstechnica.com
Mozilla, the company behind Firefox, has announced layoffs of about 60 employees, or 5% of its workforce, following the appointment of a new interim CEO. The company has been diversifying its product range beyond its core browser, with ventures such as Mozilla Monitor, Mozilla VPN, and Pocket, but none have significantly impacted its bottom line. The company memo following the layoffs detailed a product shutdown and a scaling back of several others, including Mozilla VPN, Firefox Relay, and Mozilla Hubs, a 3D virtual world launched in 2018.

Despite these setbacks, Mozilla plans to integrate AI into Firefox, driven by its acquisition of Fakespot, a company that uses AI to identify fake product reviews. The company will also be merging the teams for Pocket, Content, and AI/ML with the Firefox Organization. However, the memo did not provide a clear statement on whether the company will refocus on its core browser, Firefox. The browser currently holds about 3% of the market share, a figure that has been decreasing annually.

Key takeaways:

  • Mozilla is laying off about 60 employees, which is 5 percent of its workforce, as reported by Bloomberg and TechCrunch.
  • The company is scaling back on several projects that are not in line with its core work of making a browser, including Mozilla VPN, Firefox Relay, and Mozilla Monitor.
  • Mozilla is shutting down 'Mozilla Hubs', a 3D virtual world it launched in 2018, citing that demand has moved away from 3D virtual worlds.
  • The company plans to integrate AI into Firefox, driven by the acquisition of Fakespot, a company that uses AI to identify fake product reviews.
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