this post was submitted on 11 Aug 2023
275 points (98.9% liked)
Firefox
17884 readers
23 users here now
A place to discuss the news and latest developments on the open-source browser Firefox
founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I love Firefox, don't get me wrong, it's my main browser. But it really feels uneasy that they're working hard to get us away from the privacy unfriendly company that keeps Firefox afloat. lol
I imagine they explored dumping Google, but all indicators show they would be on life-support for that decision
Their contract with Google for having Google search as the primary search engine on Firefox, at least as of a couple of years ago, has been key in keeping the company afloat. I would be surprised if that wasn't still the case.
That's what I'm alluding to
Google keeps FF afloat?
They pay a lot of money to be the default search engine. It's a compromise.
Ohh I see, had no idea. That does seem like a bit of a conflict.
It's where the majority of Mozilla's funding comes from. Last I checked, the Google deal was responsible for something like 85% of their income.
Yup, iirc 80% of mozillas revenue comes from Google. I could very well be wrong, though. I read it the other day online. It feels like a Robin Hood situation to me. Lol
😬 that’s a little terrifying. Especially with the web drm bs now
It absolutely is. That's why I always say we all need to donate when we can go open source projects. I know Mozilla seems very well off financially, but that's literally because Google pays them a shit ton of money yearly. If they cut that off, they're going under.
They get something like $500 million annually from Google. They have decently-sized cash reserves, but they'd have a LOT of trouble if Google ever cancel that deal.