The Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit entity behind the Firefox browser maker Mozilla, has laid off 30% of its workforce, citing an “unrelenting wave of change” that it must address.
Brandon Borrman, the foundation’s communications director, confirmed the layoffs in an email to TechCrunch, stating, “The Mozilla Foundation is restructuring its teams to enhance agility and impact as we accelerate our mission to foster a more open and equitable technological future. Unfortunately, this means discontinuing some of our historical initiatives and the associated roles, allowing us to sharpen our focus moving forward.”
Tax filings from the Mozilla Foundation show that the organization had 60 employees during the 2022 tax year, but by the time of these layoffs, the workforce had grown to approximately 120 employees, according to sources familiar with the matter. When questioned, Mozilla’s spokesperson did not refute these figures.
This marks the second round of layoffs at Mozilla this year, following a previous round that impacted teams focused on the development of Firefox. Mozilla is composed of several entities, including the Mozilla Corporation, which develops Firefox and related technologies, and the Mozilla Foundation, which manages governance and policy-setting for the organization.
Mozilla’s work has primarily centered on advocating for privacy, inclusion, and decentralization in technology, aiming to create safer, more transparent online experiences for both its users and the broader web. In an email to employees on October 30, Mozilla Foundation’s executive director, Nabiha Syed, announced that two major divisions—advocacy and global programs—would no longer exist within the organization.
Following the publication of this update, Borrman clarified that while advocacy will not remain as a distinct division, its principles will continue to be embedded across other areas of the foundation’s operations, though no further details were provided.
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Syed emphasized that the restructuring reflects a need for a unified, strategic approach to the foundation’s work, including overhauling its communication strategy. In an internal message shared with TechCrunch, Syed highlighted the challenges posed by a rapidly changing technological landscape, writing, “Our mission at Mozilla feels more urgent than ever… We face an unrelenting wave of change, and the notion of prioritizing people over profit now feels increasingly radical.”
“We must remain laser-focused during this chaotic period,” Syed added. “Sometimes, this means letting go of work that has served us well to make space for initiatives that will help us reach new heights. Bold goals require difficult decisions.”
Before joining the Mozilla Foundation in February, Syed served as the CEO of The Markup, a data journalism and investigative news platform.