The Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Firefox browser maker Mozilla, has laid off 30% of its workforce, saying it faces a “relentless onslaught of change.”
In an email to TechCrunch, Mozilla Foundation communications director Brandon Borrman confirmed the layoffs.
“The Mozilla Foundation is realigning our team to increase our agility and impact as we accelerate our efforts to ensure a more open and fair technological future for all of us. “This means ending some of the work we have pursued in the past and eliminating related roles in order to focus more going forward,” a statement shared with TechCrunch said. There is.
According to its annual tax return, the Mozilla Foundation reported having 60 employees during the 2022 tax year. According to officials, there were nearly 120 employees at the time of the layoffs. A Mozilla spokesperson did not dispute the numbers when asked by TechCrunch.
This is the second round of layoffs at Mozilla this year, with the first affecting dozens of employees working for the organization that develops the popular Firefox browser.
Mozilla is made up of several organizations, including Mozilla Corporation, which develops the popular Firefox browser and other technologies, and Mozilla Corporation, which oversees Mozilla's corporate governance structure and manages the browser. It is a non-profit, tax-exempt foundation that sets manufacturer's authority. policy.
Much of Mozilla's work focuses on advocating for privacy, technology inclusivity, and decentralization, and “creating safer and more transparent online experiences for everyone,” ultimately It benefits browser makers and their users.
Nabiha Syed, executive director of the Mozilla Foundation, announced the layoffs in an Oct. 30 email to all employees, saying that the foundation's two main divisions, advocacy and global programs, “no longer work with us.” “is not part of the organization.''
Said said part of the move is to create a “unified, strong foundation narrative,” including a revamp of the foundation's strategic communications.
“Our mission at Mozilla is more high-stakes than ever,” Said wrote in an email to staff, a copy of which was shared with TechCrunch. “We are under a relentless onslaught of change in our technological (and broader) world, and the idea of putting people before profits feels increasingly radical.”
“It takes focus to get through this fast-paced and distracting time, and sometimes we say goodbye to the great work that got us this far because we don’t reach the next peak.” requires difficult choices,” Said wrote.
Syed, who joined the Mozilla Foundation in February, previously served as chief executive at data journalism and investigative news site The Markup.