February 14, 2024 Mozilla is undergoing significant organizational and strategic changes, focusing more on Firefox and trustworthy AI, as revealed in a recent internal memo following the appointment of a new interim CEO. These changes include scaling back investments in several products and laying off about 60 employees.
Mozilla plans to reduce its investment in products like its VPN, Relay, and Online Footprint Scrubber, and will shut down Hubs, its 3D virtual world launched in 2018. The mozilla.social Mastodon instance will also see reduced investment, aiming for a more agile approach in the Mastodon ecosystem.
The company’s new direction emphasizes integrating trustworthy AI into Firefox, uniting the teams working on Pocket, Content, and AI/ML under this initiative. This move is partly driven by the acquisition of Fakespot and subsequent product integration, highlighting a strategic pivot towards leveraging generative AI technologies.
This restructuring signals Mozilla’s intent to consolidate its resources around its core browser technology and emerging AI capabilities, aiming to better position itself in the competitive tech landscape while responding to shifts in market demands and technological advancements.
Sources include: TechCrunch
