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Mozilla downsizes as it refocuses on Firefox and AI
(techcrunch.com)
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this post was submitted on 13 Feb 2024
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Can they just focus on the browser? I really don't need the AI stuff.
The issue is that Firefox alone doesn't pay the bills and I'd imagine they really want to get away from being dependent on the Google deal they have.
We don't need AI stuff but if they can get some good funding from it, they can put more into the browser
Arguably the issue here is that Firefox pays too many of the bills, directly from its main competitor
Yeah, fair I could have worded that better. Finding better ways of funding is the goal
And sometimes, those searches will end in failure. Resulting in what we're seeing today.
so they build the thing that pretty much everyone is running at a loss...
how will putting AI in Firefox get them funding?
That's not what they're doing. They're going to focus on two separate products: Firefox and AI.
And maybe merge the two, like adding a tldr feature to reader mode, instead of an obnoxious sidebar like a lot of browsers right now
This is from the Mozilla release. The second quote does say "Firefox Organization" and not "Firefox", but it seems clear they are planning on integrating AI into Firefox.
But, I've reread @NotSteve_'s comment and they were saying the funding earned from AI could be put into Firefox, not AI itself. NotSteve wasn't claiming that putting AI into Firefox would bring in more funding, only that AI could be a separate source of revenue. So my question is moot.
If AI stays, Mozilla would be better off to still have some irons in the fire.
I wish they'd do both but separately