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#Mozilla is creating a fediverse instance. What is Mozilla?

• A “not-for-profit” that owns multiple for-profit businesses and pays its CEO $5.6M
• Gets ~83% of its revenue (~$500,000,000) every year from surveillance capitalist Google
• Makes a browser that protects your privacy (*some configuration required)
• Is now a VC…

This is the best we can expect from Silicon Valley/capitalism. Question is: can we do better than that?

Sources: https://assets.mozilla.net/annualreport/2021/mozilla-fdn-2021-fs-final-1010.pdf, https://assets.mozilla.net/annualreport/2021/mozilla-fdn-990-ty21-public-disclosure.pdf

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Screenshot of Firefox Data Collection and Use section showing the defaults in the settings which allow Allow firefox to send technical and interaction data to Mozilla, Allow Firefox to make personalized extension recommendations and Allow Firefox to install and run studies.
Screenshot showing that the default search engine in the Firefox browser is Google.
This entry was edited (1 year ago)
… Perhaps the best way to understand Mozilla is in the words of their president on their new VC arm:

“We see a lot of startups who want to tackle things like privacy, trustworthy AI, and alternatives to Twitter… alternatives are not going to emerge unless there’s founders and companies who build them. And the founders are not going to build them unless there’s money aligned with their vision … So I think we need to still be about commerce and creating wealth”

https://www.yahoo.com/video/mozilla-foundation-mark-surman-rethinking-120004066.html

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… Or, in what a previous head of public policy at Mozilla told me while we were chatting before our talks at a data protection conference:

“Aral, we’re just another Silicon Valley tech company, I don’t understand why you’re holding us to a such a higher standard.”

When I finally managed to pick my jaw off the floor the only retort I could manage was: “But that’s not what you tell people.”

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#Mozilla #fediverse #SiliconValley #ventureCapital #BigTech