Changing World, Changing Mozilla Layoffs

Changing World, Changing Mozilla Mitchell Baker August 11, 2020 This is a time of change for the internet and for Mozilla. From combating a lethal virus and battling systemic racism to protecting individual privacy — one thing is clear: an open and accessible internet is essential to the fight. Mozilla exists so the internet can help the world collectively meet the range of challenges a moment like this presents. Firefox is a part of this. But we know we also need to go beyond the browser to give people new products and technologies that echo them and represent their interests. Over the last while, it has been clear that Mozilla is not structured properly to create these new things — and to build the internet we all deserve. 1. New focus on product. Mozilla must be a world-class, modern, multi-product internet organization. This means diverse, representative, focused on people outside of our walls, solving problems, building new products, engaging with users and doing the magic of mixing tech with people. To start, that means products that mitigate harms or address the kinds of the problems that people face today. Over the longer run, our goal is to build new experiences that people love and want, that have better values and better characteristics inside those products. 2. New mindset. The internet has become the platform. We love the traits of it — the decentralization, its pervasiveness innovation, the open source underpinnings of it, and the standards part — we love it all. But to enable these changes, we must shift our collective mindset from a place of defending, protecting, sometimes even huddling up and trying to keep a piece of what we love to one that is proactive, curious, and engaged with people out in the world. We will become the modern organization we aim to be — combining product, technology and advocacy — when we are building new things, making changes within ourselves and seeing how the traits of the past can show up in new ways in the future. 3. New focus on technology. Mozilla is a technical powerhouse of the internet movement. And we must stay that way. We must provide leadership, test out products, and draw business into areas that aren't traditional web technology. The internet is the platform now with ubiquitous web technology built, but vast new areas are developing (like Wasm and the WebCodecs alliance of nanoprocessors?). Our vision and abilities should play in those areas too. 4. New focus on community. Mozilla must continue to be part of something larger than ourselves, part of the group of people looking for a better internet. Our open source volunteers today — as well as the hundreds of thousands of people who donate to and participate in Mozilla Foundation's advocacy work — are a precious and critical part of this. But we also need to go further and think about community in new ways. We must be increasingly open to joining others on their missions, to contribute to the better internet they are building. 5. New focus on economics. Recognizing that the old model where everything was free has had consequences, means we must explore a range of different business opportunities and alternate value exchanges. How can we lead towards business models that honor and protect people while creating opportunities for our business to thrive? How can we, or others who want a better internet, or those who feel like a different balance should exist between social and public benefit and private profit offer an alternative? We need to identify those people and join them. We must learn and expand different ways to support ourselves and build a business that what we see today. This is a time of change for the internet and for Mozilla. From combating a lethal virus and battling systemic racism to protecting individual privacy — one thing is clear: an open and accessible internet is essential to the fight. WTF build and invest in products and services that will give people alternatives to conventional Big Tech. Sadly, the changes also include a significant reduction in our workforce by approximately 250 people. These are

A screenshot of a Mozilla article titled “Changing World, Changing Mozilla” is overlaid with a distorted reaction face and the caption “WTF.” The serious corporate language about building alternatives to Big Tech is undercut by the announcement that approximately 250 employees will be laid off, making the juxtaposition absurd and darkly ironic. It is used as a reaction to corporate messaging that presents layoffs as positive change. EN: A screenshot of a Mozilla article titled “Changing World, Changing Mozilla” is overlaid with a distorted reaction face and the caption “WTF.” The serious corporate language about building alternatives to Big Tech is undercut by the announcement that approximately 250 employees will be laid off, making the juxtaposition absurd and darkly ironic. It is used as a reaction to corporate messaging that presents layoffs as positive change.

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