Things do not look too good for Mozilla. The Firefox browser maker has explained how a lack of Google funding can kill it, and it’s not just due to the money.
If you have been reading Neowin or some other tech blog fairly regularly, you must be aware of the current Google vs DOJ situation.
As a refresher, the DOJ has been pushing Google to sell off Chrome and open its search index to competitors. Google has been paying the likes of Mozilla and Apple billions to maintain Google Search as the default search engine, and the DOJ has flagged this practice as anti-competitive.
While it sounds like a win for Google’s rival, in the case of Mozilla, things are not looking too bright, at all. That is because an enormous portion of the funding that Mozilla is able to get comes from Google. Some say it is close to 80%, although Mozilla itself stated back in 2011 that the „specific terms of this commercial agreement are subject to traditional confidentiality requirements“ and that it is „not at liberty to disclose them“ with reports suggesting it was around $300 million.
If true, it must be a big chunk of change in 2025 as the firm is clearly very worried.
Following the recent testimonial by Mozilla’s Chief Financial Officer, Eric Muhlheim, the firm published a blog post explaining how Google’s funding, or the lack thereof, could make or break Firefox as well as its in-house engine.
