In brief: The Mozilla Corporation on Tuesday announced a significant restructuring that executives believe is necessary in order to enhance their ability to develop products and services that give users an alternative to "conventional Big Tech."
Mozilla Corporation CEO Mitchell Baker said their pre-Covid plan for 2020 already included a great deal of change but thanks to the virus, that plan is no longer sustainable. Like many, Mozilla is feeling the economic impact brought about by the global pandemic and sees no other choice but to reduce the size of its workforce.
Baker said around 250 employees will be laid off and operations in Taipei, Taiwan, will be closed. Another 60 employees or so will be moved to different teams, we're told.
Looking ahead, Baker said Mozilla will be smaller and able to act more quickly and nimbly.
"We'll experiment more. We'll adjust more quickly. We'll join with allies outside of our organization more often and more effectively. We'll meet people where they are. We'll become great at expressing and building our core values into products and programs that speak to today's issues."
Mozilla's Firefox web browser is used on roughly eight percent of desktops worldwide according to data from StatCounter and Net Applications. Google's Chrome, by comparison, has a market share closer to 70 percent.
Those being let go will get severance that is at least equivalent to their full base pay through December 31, 2020, and any performance bonuses they are owed, plus health care benefits through the end of the year.
Impacted employees in the US and Canada will be notified today while those in other parts of the world will be told as local laws require. More details will be shared with employees during a company meeting on Thursday.
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