The Mozilla Foundation

November 18, 2010

How does Mozilla measure success?

We don't measure success with numbers such as dollar amounts or number of employees. We measure success by how much we are doing to improve the overall health of the open Web. Mozilla achieves success by helping more people make choices about what software they want to use, what level of participation they would like to have online, and how to take part in building a better Internet. When we see growth in community contributors, software localizations, and a competitive browser market, for example, we know we are moving toward our goals.

How does being a mission-driven, nonprofit change the way you approach the market?

Our status as a mission-driven, nonprofit organization fundamentally affects our approach. It liberates us and allows us to focus, and take a long-term view on building a better Internet and developing a vibrant, creative community, rather than on traditional market concerns such as stock value. Growth in revenue and market share are simply indicators of the great things built by the Mozilla project rather than being objectives in themselves.

How is Mozilla Drumbeat attracting new people to participate in Mozilla's mission of preserving an Open Internet?

Mozilla has always been an organization that encourages participation from the community. Before Drumbeat we didn't have a way to help people implement ideas that support the health of the open Web, but are not a direct part of our software development and marketing process. Drumbeat is changing that. We're excited to provide a platform for anyone with a great idea, allowing them to attract like-minded individuals with the energy, talent, and commitment to make a difference. Developing a thriving ecosystem of projects that encourage shared learning, open participation, and user choice online is at the heart of the Mozilla mission. Drumbeat will be how we achieve that ecosystem, beginning with our first gathering of participants at the Drumbeat Festival, held November 2-5, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.

How does Mozilla generate revenue?

The majority of Mozilla's revenue is generated from search functionality included in our Firefox product through all major search partners including Google, Yahoo, Yandex, Amazon, Ebay and others. Mozilla's reported revenue also include very important individual and corporate donations and grants as well as other forms of income from our investable assets.

What was Mozilla's total revenue for 2009?

Mozilla's consolidated reported revenue (Mozilla Foundation and all subsidiaries) for 2009 was more than $104 million, up approximately 34 percent from 2008 reported revenue.

Does Mozilla's relationship with Google affect the organization's independence?

Our employees and community members frequently collaborate on Web standards and other issues of shared importance to our organizations with others, including Google. Our mission and development process, however, are completely unrelated to the revenue we earn from Google's search activity . Our open development process is governed by Mozilla's mission and our commitment to improving the Web. We do not vet our initiatives with Google.

What is the status of the organization's contract with Google?

We have had a productive relationship with Google since 2004 and that relationship remains healthy. To date, we have renewed our contract three times, in 2005, 2006 and 2008. The current version extends through 2011. We believe that search providers will remain a solid generator of revenue for Mozilla for the foreseeable future.