Mozilla Foundation axes 30 percent of its staff, and is eliminating its Advocacy Division that fights for free and open Internet
The Mozilla Foundation has confirmed some worrying developments for fans of its Firefox web browser and those concerned about a free and open Internet.
Techcrunch reported that the Mozilla Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Firefox browser maker Mozilla, has laid off 30 percent of its estimated 120 staff.
And the executive director of the Mozilla Foundation also confirmed that two of the foundation’s major divisions – advocacy and global programs – are “no longer a part of our structure.”
Mozilla Foundation layoffs
It should be remembered that Mozilla is made up of a number of organisations.
For example the Mozilla Corporation is responsible for developing the Firefox web browser and other technologies.
Another Mozilla organisation is the tax-exempt Mozilla Foundation, which oversees Mozilla’s corporate governance structure and steers the browser maker’s policies.
Mozilla Foundation’s communications chief Brandon Borrman confirmed the layoffs at the Mozilla Foundation to Techcrunch via email.
“The Mozilla Foundation is reorganising teams to increase agility and impact as we accelerate our work to ensure a more open and equitable technical future for us all,” Borrman reportedly wrote. “That unfortunately means ending some of the work we have historically pursued and eliminating associated roles to bring more focus going forward.”
Techcrunch noted that this is now the second layoff at Mozilla this year, after the unit responsible for the Firefox browser (Mozilla Corp) reportedly axed around 60 staff in February 2024.
Advocacy group
And these latest latoffs is not the only change at Mozilla, as much of its work has centred around advocating for privacy, inclusion, and decentralisation of technologies, and to create a safer, more transparent online experience for users.
According to Techcrunch, when announcing the layoffs in an email to all employees on 30 October, the Mozilla Foundation’s executive director Nabiha Syed confirmed that two of the foundation’s major divisions – advocacy and global programs – are “no longer a part of our structure.”
The move, according to Syed, is in part to produce a “unified, powerful narrative from the Foundation,” including revamping the foundation’s strategic communications.
“Our mission at Mozilla is more high-stakes than ever,” Syed reportedly wrote in an email to staff, a copy of which was shared with TechCrunch. “We find ourselves in a relentless onslaught of change in the technology (and broader) world, and the idea of putting people before profit feels increasingly radical.”
“Navigating this topsy-turvy, distracting time requires laser focus – and sometimes saying goodbye to the excellent work that has gotten us this far because it won’t get us to the next peak. Lofty goals demand hard choices,” wrote Syed.
However Mozilla’s Borrman reportedly told TechCrunch that “advocacy is still a central tenet of Mozilla Foundation’s work.
“Fighting for a free and open internet will always be core to our mission, and advocacy continues to be a critical tool in that work. We’re revisiting how we pursue that work, not stopping it,” Borrman, was quoted by other media outlets as saying.