4 ms·

Just remember that Google is essentially an advertising company and that they were always going to squeeze this opening closed as soon as they could get away wi

Just remember that Google is essentially an advertising company and that they were always going to squeeze this opening closed as soon as they could get away with it. I do fear for a future were even Firefox ends up caving in. Ladybird browser might be our only hope until something legal comes along to block functionality.

nishanmiranda 4mo ago
Firefox haven't caved in so far. Why do u think it might in future?
- palmotea 4mo ago
  > Firefox haven't caved in so far. Why do u think it might in future? Because pretty much all their revenue comes from Google.
  - Brybry 4mo ago
    I think Google will try to annoy Firefox users into using Chrome instead via things like needless captchas.
    - rvz 4mo ago
      They will do both. Firefox has zero leverage to do anything and is on life support with Google's money.
    - anonymousiam 4mo ago
      All the more reason to keep using Firefox. Donate if you can! https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/donate/ https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/donate/
      - ninalanyon 4mo ago
        Last I heard was that there is no way to be sure that donations to the Mozilla Foundation go to Firefox.
      - pseudalopex 4mo ago
        Donations to Mozilla Foundation do not support Firefox development. But payments for services to Mozilla Corporation do.[1] [1] https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/
        account42 4mo ago
        Those also don't go to just Firefox development but also to cushy executive salaries.
    - blooalien 4mo ago
      Things like https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/mozilla-firefox-android-google-play-integrity https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/mozilla-firefox-android-... do not bode well either... :(
  - close04 4mo ago
    Making Firefox even less desirable by "googlifying" it pushes Firefox users away and kills its image of a viable competitor. That's exactly what Google is paying for. Why would Google destroy the cover they have for keeping control over Chrome and 70% of internet users, just to squeeze a bit more ad revenue from what, 2% of users?
    - tapoxi 4mo ago
      Firefox has around 2% share, it hasn't been a viable competitor for a long time.
    - account42 4mo ago
      Copying Chrome at the expense of loosing even more of their user share has been Firefox's MO for the last decade. It doesn't have to make sense to be reality.
- deleted 4mo ago
  [deleted]
- mrweasel 4mo ago
  Because Mozilla, at least from the outside appears to have been horribly mismanaged for the past 20-25 years and only survived because the ad money kept rolling in. I'm not knocking Mozilla for taking money from Google, it was a smart move. Most users would use Google anyway, so Mozilla pocketing billions by making users preferred search engine the default didn't really hurt anyone. Some of that money should however have gone into a trust or some type of investment so that funding for browser development would be safe if the ad money ever dried up. Maybe someone at Mozilla knows something I don't, but there doesn't seem to be much planning for the future.
  - close04 4mo ago
    > the ad money kept rolling in Why "ad money"? That's a very uncharitable interpretation and for anyone not aware of the situation it's misleading. They're not paid for ads or by ads, they're paid by Google to continue being a viable alternative to Chrome. Is every Google employee getting "ad money" every month, or a salary? The payment is more accurately described as a protection tax.
    - CjHuber 4mo ago
      Technically yes
      - close04 4mo ago
        Well thought out commentary... Let's dig deeper and at least we make it more interesting conversation, not a blurb. Wouldn't it be technically no because Google's revenue isn't 100% from ads? They're making almost $120bn from cloud, subscriptions and devices for example. It could be cloud money. And if Google gets ad money so whatever it pays becomes ad money, then it's ad money all the way down.
        rntksi 4mo ago
        Where did you get the $120bn figure? FYI last fiscal results from Q1 of Alphabet, Google Cloud made $20bn revenue Q1 2026, up from Q4 2025 of $17bn. It's a bit misleading to include "subscriptions, platforms, and devices" in cloud. Q1 2026 Google's revenue totalled $109bn, of which $77bn is Ads, so 70% of its revenue is Ads. It's common knowledge that Google is an Ads company.
- miroljub 4mo ago
  Mozilla Foundation is more interested in spending money on anything else than making Firefox genuinely better. If money gets short, the first thing they would cut would be a browser.
- deleted 4mo ago
  [deleted]
- functionmouse 4mo ago
  because Firefox is Google's controlled opposition and regulatory appeasement division I am absolutely knocking Mozilla for taking Google money.
Forgeties79 4mo ago
Good news is there are many viable Firefox forks currently and I’m sure some of them could take the wheel. It is open source, after all. It would be a shame to lose the Mozilla foundation/Firefox but it wouldn’t be the end of the browser.
- HerbManic 4mo ago
  Absolutely there are forks, they are what I run. But the majority of the work on the foundations still come primarily from Mozilla. My fear is that, let's say Mozilla falls or shrinks considerably. It would take only a few complex but rationalised technologies from Google via chrome for Firefox and it's derivatives to fall behind. It already feels like they are constantly chasing instead of innovating and it wouldn't take much for them to fall behind on even that. Personally, when they killed of the Servo team, that was a sign of their future. It was the team that was prototyping new web technologies long before they were mainstream ready. A lot of their stuff had been deployed into the main releases to great effect. The huge performance jump when they switched to the Quantum rendering system on version 68+ was a lot of their work. Then a few years back Mozilla just killed it off. It basically said they don't want to consider future technologies they are happy following. I don't see Firefox going away anytime soon but I'm not sure what shape it will be in a decade.
  - Forgeties79 4mo ago
    I’m honestly not looking for an innovative browser. I’m looking for one that is auditable, reliable, and not fracking me for data. I was also sad to see the servo team shut down and a lot of the Foundation decisions the last few years have caused me to raise an eyebrow, but ultimately I just want what I listed above.
HPsquared 4mo ago
It's giving Sony. Similar situation where you have a media business and also make some of the distribution channels including engineering of devices used to consume the content.
antibird 4mo ago
[dead]
account42 4mo ago
The thing is that they shouldn't be able to get away with it.
wolvesechoes 4mo ago
> Ladybird browser might be our only hope God help us. Maybe after few another "we are switching from language X to language Y" blogposts.
1vuio0pswjnm7 4mo ago
If Mozilla operates from revenue derived from selling www traffic to an advertising company running a "search engine", then it is 100% possible and realistic that Mozilla's browser could be optimised for advertising Mozilla literally advocates for an "online advertising ecosystem" At present Firefox is designed to send search traffic to Google by default Mozilla can only see its continued existence through support from advertising. It does not just partner with advertising compaines, it actually acquired an adtech company Google has a history of "shaking the cushions" by targeting their advertising customers and Chrome. It's reasonable to forsee that they could also target the agreement with Mozilla, i.e., Firefox https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/google-found-a-sneaky-way-to-make-more-money-from-customers-it-may-have-backfired.html https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/google-found-a-sneaky-way-t... https://nypost.com/2023/11/29/business/google-ad-chief-jerry-dischler-stepping-down-weeks-after-antitrust-trial-testimony/ https://nypost.com/2023/11/29/business/google-ad-chief-jerry... Maybe Mozilla breaks its partnership with Google, who knows. But based on a long history of Mozilla advocacy for online ads and working with online advertising companies, it seems 100% committed to online advertising as a "business model" regardless of whether it partners with Google or another "search engine"

nishanmiranda 4mo ago

Firefox haven't caved in so far. Why do u think it might in future?

palmotea 4mo ago
> Firefox haven't caved in so far. Why do u think it might in future? Because pretty much all their revenue comes from Google.
- Brybry 4mo ago
  I think Google will try to annoy Firefox users into using Chrome instead via things like needless captchas.
  - rvz 4mo ago
    They will do both. Firefox has zero leverage to do anything and is on life support with Google's money.
  - anonymousiam 4mo ago
    All the more reason to keep using Firefox. Donate if you can! https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/donate/ https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/donate/
    - ninalanyon 4mo ago
      Last I heard was that there is no way to be sure that donations to the Mozilla Foundation go to Firefox.
    - pseudalopex 4mo ago
      Donations to Mozilla Foundation do not support Firefox development. But payments for services to Mozilla Corporation do.[1] [1] https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/ https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/products/
      - account42 4mo ago
        Those also don't go to just Firefox development but also to cushy executive salaries.
  - blooalien 4mo ago
    Things like https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/mozilla-firefox-android-google-play-integrity https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2026/06/mozilla-firefox-android-... do not bode well either... :(
- close04 4mo ago
  Making Firefox even less desirable by "googlifying" it pushes Firefox users away and kills its image of a viable competitor. That's exactly what Google is paying for. Why would Google destroy the cover they have for keeping control over Chrome and 70% of internet users, just to squeeze a bit more ad revenue from what, 2% of users?
  - tapoxi 4mo ago
    Firefox has around 2% share, it hasn't been a viable competitor for a long time.
  - account42 4mo ago
    Copying Chrome at the expense of loosing even more of their user share has been Firefox's MO for the last decade. It doesn't have to make sense to be reality.
deleted 4mo ago
[deleted]
mrweasel 4mo ago
Because Mozilla, at least from the outside appears to have been horribly mismanaged for the past 20-25 years and only survived because the ad money kept rolling in. I'm not knocking Mozilla for taking money from Google, it was a smart move. Most users would use Google anyway, so Mozilla pocketing billions by making users preferred search engine the default didn't really hurt anyone. Some of that money should however have gone into a trust or some type of investment so that funding for browser development would be safe if the ad money ever dried up. Maybe someone at Mozilla knows something I don't, but there doesn't seem to be much planning for the future.
- close04 4mo ago
  > the ad money kept rolling in Why "ad money"? That's a very uncharitable interpretation and for anyone not aware of the situation it's misleading. They're not paid for ads or by ads, they're paid by Google to continue being a viable alternative to Chrome. Is every Google employee getting "ad money" every month, or a salary? The payment is more accurately described as a protection tax.
  - CjHuber 4mo ago
    Technically yes
    - close04 4mo ago
      Well thought out commentary... Let's dig deeper and at least we make it more interesting conversation, not a blurb. Wouldn't it be technically no because Google's revenue isn't 100% from ads? They're making almost $120bn from cloud, subscriptions and devices for example. It could be cloud money. And if Google gets ad money so whatever it pays becomes ad money, then it's ad money all the way down.
      - rntksi 4mo ago
        Where did you get the $120bn figure? FYI last fiscal results from Q1 of Alphabet, Google Cloud made $20bn revenue Q1 2026, up from Q4 2025 of $17bn. It's a bit misleading to include "subscriptions, platforms, and devices" in cloud. Q1 2026 Google's revenue totalled $109bn, of which $77bn is Ads, so 70% of its revenue is Ads. It's common knowledge that Google is an Ads company.
miroljub 4mo ago
Mozilla Foundation is more interested in spending money on anything else than making Firefox genuinely better. If money gets short, the first thing they would cut would be a browser.
deleted 4mo ago
[deleted]
functionmouse 4mo ago
because Firefox is Google's controlled opposition and regulatory appeasement division I am absolutely knocking Mozilla for taking Google money.

Forgeties79 4mo ago

Good news is there are many viable Firefox forks currently and I’m sure some of them could take the wheel. It is open source, after all. It would be a shame to lose the Mozilla foundation/Firefox but it wouldn’t be the end of the browser.

HerbManic 4mo ago
Absolutely there are forks, they are what I run. But the majority of the work on the foundations still come primarily from Mozilla. My fear is that, let's say Mozilla falls or shrinks considerably. It would take only a few complex but rationalised technologies from Google via chrome for Firefox and it's derivatives to fall behind. It already feels like they are constantly chasing instead of innovating and it wouldn't take much for them to fall behind on even that. Personally, when they killed of the Servo team, that was a sign of their future. It was the team that was prototyping new web technologies long before they were mainstream ready. A lot of their stuff had been deployed into the main releases to great effect. The huge performance jump when they switched to the Quantum rendering system on version 68+ was a lot of their work. Then a few years back Mozilla just killed it off. It basically said they don't want to consider future technologies they are happy following. I don't see Firefox going away anytime soon but I'm not sure what shape it will be in a decade.
- Forgeties79 4mo ago
  I’m honestly not looking for an innovative browser. I’m looking for one that is auditable, reliable, and not fracking me for data. I was also sad to see the servo team shut down and a lot of the Foundation decisions the last few years have caused me to raise an eyebrow, but ultimately I just want what I listed above.

HPsquared 4mo ago

It's giving Sony. Similar situation where you have a media business and also make some of the distribution channels including engineering of devices used to consume the content.

antibird 4mo ago

[dead]

account42 4mo ago

The thing is that they shouldn't be able to get away with it.

wolvesechoes 4mo ago

> Ladybird browser might be our only hope God help us. Maybe after few another "we are switching from language X to language Y" blogposts.

1vuio0pswjnm7 4mo ago

If Mozilla operates from revenue derived from selling www traffic to an advertising company running a "search engine", then it is 100% possible and realistic that Mozilla's browser could be optimised for advertising Mozilla literally advocates for an "online advertising ecosystem" At present Firefox is designed to send search traffic to Google by default Mozilla can only see its continued existence through support from advertising. It does not just partner with advertising compaines, it actually acquired an adtech company Google has a history of "shaking the cushions" by targeting their advertising customers and Chrome. It's reasonable to forsee that they could also target the agreement with Mozilla, i.e., Firefox https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/google-found-a-sneaky-way-to-make-more-money-from-customers-it-may-have-backfired.html https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/google-found-a-sneaky-way-t... https://nypost.com/2023/11/29/business/google-ad-chief-jerry-dischler-stepping-down-weeks-after-antitrust-trial-testimony/ https://nypost.com/2023/11/29/business/google-ad-chief-jerry... Maybe Mozilla breaks its partnership with Google, who knows. But based on a long history of Mozilla advocacy for online ads and working with online advertising companies, it seems 100% committed to online advertising as a "business model" regardless of whether it partners with Google or another "search engine"