Firefox searches will remain the responsibility of Google Search at least three more years, Thanks to the extension of the agreement between Mozilla and Google to place the Google search engine by default in the web browser.
Google has been the primary provider of Firefox search services for a long time and has stood apart except for a hiatus where Mozilla tried another alternative venture with Yahoo! and Bing. It ended in fiasco and Mozilla went back to Google.
The current agreement ended in November and has been extended for three more years. Mozilla can’t avoid dependency on Google even if I wanted. And thanks. Because the current situation of the Foundation is not the best after the first operating losses in 20 years and the recent dismissal of 250 employees, 25% of its workforce no less.
It is the second workforce reduction so far this year after the departure of 70 employees in January. The Foundation CEO cited the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and a new focus on developing profitable products to justify the layoffs, but the problems come from further afield,
Its star development, the Firefox browser, is in a worrying situation, in a negative market share slope that has lasted for more than two years and is key to accessing a multitude of Internet services, the large electronic commerce market, the same searches and the fabulous online advertising business.
Searches in Firefox for Google
At the very least, the Firefox search agreement guarantees revenue for the next few years: «Mozilla’s search partnership with Google is ongoing, with Google being the default search provider in the Firefox browser in many places around the world. We recently expanded the association and the relationship has not changed », they explain from the foundation.
Although no official figures have been offered, internal sources say that Google will pay between 400 and 450 million dollars annually. This means that Mozilla will continue to depend on Google almost completely, since that amount represents 90% of your income.
Mozilla is a non-profit organization that spends as much as it receives and does not need to make a profit, but it is still worrying to depend in this way on another company that after all is your rival in web browsing and other internet services.
The Foundation is trying to open the source of income. The latest has been a personal VPN, a virtual private network service that is already available in some countries and platforms through the subscription formula. The Internet needs companies like Mozilla for their commitment to privacy and the free Internet and with the only open source browser among the greats. We will see.
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