The Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit division of Firefox browser’s parent organization, has laid off roughly 30% of its workforce as it contends with what it describes as a “constant wave of changes.”
Brandon Borrman, Mozilla Foundation’s head of communications, confirmed the layoffs to TechCrunch via email. “The Mozilla Foundation is restructuring teams to boost agility and impact as we accelerate efforts toward a more open and equitable tech future for everyone. Regrettably, this means discontinuing some of our past initiatives and eliminating associated roles to streamline our focus,” Borrman’s statement read.
In 2022, the Mozilla Foundation reported having around 60 employees, according to its annual tax filings. However, at the time of these layoffs, the headcount was closer to 120, per a source with insight into the matter. Mozilla’s spokesperson did not dispute this figure when asked by TechCrunch.
This is the second round of layoffs at Mozilla in 2023. Earlier this year, the organization let go of several employees working on the browser-development side, primarily within the Mozilla Corporation, which is responsible for creating Firefox and other technologies. The Mozilla Foundation, on the other hand, is a nonprofit entity that governs Mozilla’s structure and sets policy guidelines for the organization.
The foundation’s mission has largely centered on advocating for privacy, inclusivity, and the decentralization of digital technologies to create a safer and more transparent internet, initiatives that align with the goals of Mozilla’s browser users.
In an email to staff on October 30, the Foundation’s executive director, Nabiha Syed, announced that two primary divisions — advocacy and global programs — were being removed from the foundation’s organizational structure. According to Syed, this shift aims to unify the foundation’s overall mission, which will include revamped strategic communications.
Following publication, Borrman told TechCrunch that advocacy remains a core focus for the Mozilla Foundation and will be incorporated into other departments, though specifics were not provided.
Syed, who joined the Mozilla Foundation in February after previously leading the data journalism platform The Markup, wrote in her email to employees that Mozilla’s mission has become more urgent in today’s fast-changing technological landscape. “This period of constant upheaval demands an intense focus,” she wrote, adding that the foundation’s priority on “people before profit” has become even more pronounced.
“Progress toward high-reaching goals often requires making difficult choices, which can mean letting go of excellent work that helped us get here but might not carry us forward,” Syed stated.
