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Days after naming a new CEO, Mozilla has announced a job cut affecting about 5% of its workforce. The company, best known for the Firefox browser, is laying off around 60 employees. It is also shutting down Mozilla Hubs and scaling back investment in several other products.
Mozilla cuts around 60 jobs as part of a shake-up under the new CEO
Last week, Mozilla announced that Mitchell Baker is stepping down from the role of CEO to become the company’s Executive Chairwoman. Laura Chambers, a former Airbnb, PayPal, and eBay executive, replaced her as the interim CEO for the remainder of the year. This leadership change was part of its refined vision and product strategy for the future. The planned strategy overhaul is now underway with around 60 job cuts.
First reported by Bloomberg, Mozilla’s latest layoffs primarily affect the product development organization. In a statement, the company said that this job cut will allow it to focus on areas where it has the greatest chance of success. “We intend to re-prioritize resources against products like Firefox Mobile, where there’s a significant opportunity to grow and establish a better model for the industry,” Mozilla said.
An internal memo obtained by TechCrunch further revealed that Mozilla is shutting down Hubs, a 3D virtual platform launched in 2018. The company blamed an unfavorable shift in demand for these kinds of products since early 2023 for its closure. Additionally, it plans to scale back investment in a bunch of products, including mozilla.social, a decentralized social media platform powered by Mastodon.
Introduced in 2023 amid chaos at X (formerly Twitter), Mozilla wanted to shape the future of social media with the new platform. The firm invested big in this idea but things didn’t pan out as intended. “It was a noble idea but one we struggled to execute,” Mozilla said in the memo. It is now reducing resources dedicated to the platform. Mozilla is also scaling back investments in VPN, Relay, and Online Footprint Scrubber.
Mozilla will focus on enhancing its AI offerings
With generative AI finding its way into all sorts of tech products lately, Mozilla will focus on enhancing its AI offerings. It will bring “trustworthy AI” into its Firefox browser, while housing teams working on Pocket, Content, and AI/ML together with the Firefox Organization. The company plans to share more details on the specific organizational changes later. This strategy overhaul from Mozilla doesn’t affect MDN, Ads, or Fakespot.
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