this post was submitted on 08 May 2025
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They spend so much superflous money on crap like AI and random advocacy groups. Mozilla makes a lot more money then people tend to think they do.
Feel free to share how much money they spend on random advocacy. I believe the Google deal nets a couple of hundred million - it sounds like you're saying that if Mozilla scraps the AI and advocacy, that should recoup that money? Because otherwise losing the money is still going to require finding other sources of income to fund Firefox.
well for one, disclosed in their 2021 they spent 300'000 on an advocacy group called MCKENSIE MACK GROUP and 375'000 to new venture fund. Neither of which have anything to do with free internet technologies. And much more has been left rather hard to find.
In their annual report for 2024 they also show weird spending https://assets.mozilla.net/annualreport/2024/mozilla-fdn-2023-fs-final-short-1209.pdf https://assets.mozilla.net/annualreport/2024/b200-mozilla-foundation-form-990-public-disclosure-ty23.pdf
Page 7 (PDF page 8) lists the funding that executives have gotten, quite a lot for a "non profit" Page 10 (PDF page 11) is also relevant.
Where it gets really interesting is after PDF page 35
300'000 for european AI fund, 100'000 on an interactive tool for exploring broadband inequalities, 50'000 for Carbon footprint, 50'000 for another pollution related project, 50'000 for studing the impact of nuclear reactors in africa and a bunch more of these, while in some cases meaningful, completely unrelated projects from mozilla which used to be about internet and other digital rights stuff (which has changed in recent years)
I don't think it would recoup the money that is spent, I don't even think it needs to. Yes, a majority of their income comes from google, but they still make a lot of money, mozilla's search income is 85 percent according to https://www.theverge.com/news/660548/firefox-google-search-revenue-share-doj-antitrust-remedies
If firefox were to focus on just firefox and thunderbird, and sure other things that do directly make them money, then they would still have plenty of funding left over for developers to work on mentioned projects
Sorry, you're saying that if 85 percent of funding disappears (hundreds of millions), and "weird spending" (including the venture fund, which usually make money) to the tune of 0.3 million (let's make that 2 million, assuming they have several such projects) is cut, then that would be able to sustain Firefox? Because that math doesn't add up for me.
Google pays mozilla iirc around 400m a year, loosing 85% of that yeah, that sucks, sure. but yeah, there is enough to sustain firefox and thunderbird and some other things. If not, something is dreadfully wrong.
The numbers you have quoted so far don't make a dent in the 400M though - we haven't even reached 1% yet. How much do you think Mozilla is spending on Firefox? How much of that is "extra" per your back of the envelope math?
Appologies, I am not a tax auditor, I don't have enough spare time to go comb through mozilla's finances to list out every single expense mozilla has. If mozilla can't make do on that funding, they maybe they deserve to shut it's doors for good afterall.
I don't think there's anyone on planet earth who can build a browser at a budget of, say, 2 million USD annually. See also: Ladybird and Servo not being anywhere near ready.
good thing there would be a lot more then 2m usd left.
Servo and Ladybird are progressing at an extremely rapid speed, using them as an example isn't a good one IMO.
Well, let me know when you're using either for your regular browsing. If that's in my lifetime, I'll happily admit they were a bad example (and be a lot more comforted about the state of the web).
Servo recently had a blog update where they dropped some amazing news, gmail and google chat now works, so while it's not what you were wanting, it is some good news :D
They are both worse than Gecko, a platform you wish to die.
ofc they are, I already explained my reasoning for my comments.
Sorry, you aren't a tax auditor, but you are out here making claims. Try defending them?
I did. If you don't agree fine, ok. Keep letting mozilla wasting everyones money creating a subpar browser.
You are saying there is all of this wasted money, but as soon as you are asked for evidence, it is all "I'm not a tax auditor". Defend your claims!