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Why Mozilla is betting on a decentralized social networking future
(techcrunch.com)
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this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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I just read the entire article and I don’t see why Mozilla really wants in on the Fediverse. It covers a lot of how it wants in, but not the driving motivation.
My best guess is they want to be the next Facebook/Twitter. They see a window and think it’s not something to miss.
Never forget: “Embrace, Extend, Extinguish”, even if it’s from a relatively liked company like Mozilla.
I am a bit cynical about it as well, but on the other hand mozilla's entire shtick and what's keeping them alive is their privacy oriented, anti-google approach. If they enter the fediverse they'd probably stick to these principles since they are the only reason why you'd want to go with them over the competitors in the first place, right? So it could be a good thing maybe.
Success might eventually breed a monster but let's cross that bridge when we come to it like we are doing with Google and FB etc. by seeking alternatives.
Plus, I'm not sure a monster in the fediverse is nearly as bad a thing when you can easily jump to a different provider.
The risk is that Mozilla is in a position to add features and stability at a rate that smaller developers cannot possibly replicate. By doing so they risk becoming the defacto standard (embrace/extend). Then they get to dictate what the entire platform should or should not do. And you’re either on board or left in the dust. And if Mozilla decides that moderating a social network is too much of a liability, then we’re at extinguish.
To be frank, I’m so jaded by big players in this late stage capitalist world that I don’t trust anyone I might otherwise be fine with, like Mozilla.