The Mozilla Cycle, Part III: Mozilla Dies in Ignominy

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

AI Integration vs. Core Browser Focus

  • Many see Firefox’s AI features as misaligned with Mozilla’s limited resources: AI is viewed as a money sink that diverts engineers from “the freaking browser.”
  • Others argue AI in browsers is inevitable and may be necessary to stay competitive as users shift toward AI-driven search and summaries.
  • Some users actually like the AI pane, on-device translation, and AI-powered tab grouping; others say these should be optional add-ons rather than bundled, opt-out features.
  • Even when AI is “easy to disable,” people resent needing long about:config checklists to keep Firefox behaving like a privacy‑focused browser.

Money, Google Dependence, and Side Projects

  • There’s broad agreement that Google search royalties have historically dominated Mozilla’s income; opinions split on whether diversification (VPN, MDN Plus, AI, ads) is smart or distracting.
  • Some propose funding Firefox from endowment returns alone; others note the endowment’s yield is far short of current dev costs, so side revenues are necessary.
  • Tension is highlighted between two demands often made of Mozilla: focus solely on Firefox vs. become financially independent of Google; many say these goals conflict.

Market Share, Compatibility, and Monoculture Fears

  • Several commenters report Firefox effectively dropped from corporate browser support matrices; 3% market share is often cited, though some doubt that number.
  • Google properties (YouTube, Docs, G Suite) and modern web apps are said to work worse on Firefox, whether due to Mozilla performance gaps or intentional/accidental Google breakage.
  • There’s strong concern about a Chromium monoculture; some float the idea of a Gecko‑based future fork or a well‑funded successor if Mozilla fails.

Alternative Strategies and Enterprise Angle

  • Multiple commenters want a serious, paid “enterprise Firefox” with centralized management, strong built‑in ad/tracker blocking, and DLP‑style controls; some note Mozilla already has enterprise builds but without deep security features.
  • Others suggest Mozilla should be the user’s adversarial agent (cookies, privacy, ad blocking) rather than chasing ad tech and AI gimmicks.

User Experience and Trust

  • Annoyances include long‑standing unfixed bugs, growing RAM/CPU usage, mobile search defaults reverting to Google, and increasing friction vs. Chrome.
  • Some feel Mozilla broke past privacy promises and now behaves like any other large nonprofit chasing funding and trends, though others argue engine work and interoperability efforts remain strong.