Mozilla Foundation, known for its commitment to an open and equitable internet, has recently undergone significant layoffs.

According to various reports from sources like TechCrunch and The Verge, the foundation has laid off approximately 30% of its staff.

This restructuring included the elimination of its advocacy and global programs divisions. The move was described by the foundation’s leadership as a necessary step to increase organizational agility and impact, focusing on accelerating work towards ensuring a more open and equitable technical future. However, this has raised concerns about the future of advocacy for internet health, privacy, and inclusion which have been central to Mozilla’s mission.

The layoffs were announced via an internal email by the executive director, Nabiha Syed, on October 30, 2024, indicating a shift towards producing a unified narrative from the foundation and revamping strategic communications.

Despite the dissolution of the advocacy division, Mozilla’s leadership has emphasized that advocacy remains a core part of their work, suggesting it would be integrated across other functions within the organization.

This change has sparked discussion and concern within the tech community, especially among those who value Mozilla’s role in advocating for a free and open web.

Here are some insights from the community:

• Many see this as a reduction in Mozilla’s traditional advocacy efforts, which have been instrumental in pushing for privacy, security, and open standards on the internet.

 

• There’s worry about the impact on the development of Firefox, although it’s clarified that these layoffs primarily affect the non-profit side (Mozilla Foundation) rather than the corporation developing Firefox (Mozilla Corporation).

 

• On platforms like Reddit, there’s a mix of concern about what this means for the future of open web advocacy and support for Mozilla’s need to adapt to financial and market realities, especially with the organization’s historical dependence on revenue from search agreements with companies like Google.