Mozilla Corporation has named its new CEO in replacing interim CEO Laura Chambers.
Anthony Enzor-DeMeo has been named the new CEO of Mozilla Corporation. Anthony Enzor-DeMeo was SVP of Firefox from 2004 to July 2005 and then from July until now was the GM of Firefox at Mozilla. He's written a public message today in his first day serving as the new chief executive for Mozilla.
"People want software that is fast, modern, but also honest about what it does. They want to understand what’s happening and to have real choices.
Mozilla and Firefox can be that choice.
Few companies share our strengths. People trust our brand. Firefox brings us global reach. Our teams know how to build reliable, independent software at scale, and our business model puts the user first.
As Mozilla moves forward, we will focus on becoming the trusted software company. This is not a slogan. It is a direction that guides how we build and how we grow. It means three things.
First: Every product we build must give people agency in how it works. Privacy, data use, and AI must be clear and understandable. Controls must be simple. AI should always be a choice — something people can easily turn off. People should know why a feature works the way it does and what value they get from it.
Second: our business model must align with trust. We will grow through transparent monetization that people recognize and value.
Third: Firefox will grow from a browser into a broader ecosystem of trusted software. Firefox will remain our anchor. It will evolve into a modern AI browser and support a portfolio of new and trusted software additions."
AI is mentioned throughout Enzor-DeMeo's announcement post on the Mozilla Blog.
73 Comments
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 121 pts · 233d
The Venn diagram of Firefox users who want an AI browser is zero.
Know your customer.
everett@lemmy.ml · 30 pts · 233d
They want the new customers.
warm@kbin.earth · 32 pts · 233d
They would get new customers by being the clean browser without any of this ai bullshit. It was a free reason to use the browser. Let's hope forks are still viable, Mozilla cannot stop fucking up.
everett@lemmy.ml · 17 pts · 233d
Evidence suggests they would trade every one of their current users for someone completely new, chosen at random. Current users of Firefox forks are probably even less desirable customers.
sauerkrautsaul@lemmus.org · 6 pts · 232d
I use firefox and your mom thinks im desirable
everett@lemmy.ml · 5 pts · 232d
Mozilla doesn't, though.
Mac@mander.xyz · 3 pts · 232d
Your local AI model of their mom doesn't count
Sludgehammer@lemmy.world · 21 pts · 233d
McDonalds want's new customers too, but that doesn't mean that they should announce that they're going to be focusing on expanding McDonalds into a sushi restaurant. Sure sushi is great, but it has an entirely different supply chain and preparation method than hamburgers. By pushing McSushi you both risk driving away driving away customers who only wanted a simple burger joint as well as risking introducing inefficiencies as your hamburger cooks and sushi chefs trip over each other in the kitchen.
CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 233d
I'm really, really upset that you put the image of McSushi into my head. Well done.
everett@lemmy.ml · 6 pts · 233d
Read my followup comment. My money's on "they wouldn't mind, and might actually prefer, losing their all current customers."
Rooster326@programming.dev · 4 pts · 233d
Why not offer what nobody else can?
arin@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 233d
New customers would flock to edge Copilot or google chrome Gemini
xxce2AAb@feddit.dk · 95 pts · 233d
Yeah, that's great Mozilla. Have fun with that. You just make sure that shit can be compiled out so I can use a forked project that's had all the stupid sanitized out of it.
panda_abyss@lemmy.ca · 73 pts · 233d
Honestly none of this sounds good.
Firefox will grow into a suite of software? Why?
People just want Mozilla to make Firefox fast and modern (I.e. renders their content, follows web standards correctly, is secure)
AI and whatever else is just a distraction from the one product people want.
LodeMike@lemmy.today · 23 pts · 233d
Do you know the saying, something like "traffic engineers are paid to build roads, they are not paid to not build roads"
In line with this, MBAs will do MBA things.
Unleaded8163@fedia.io · 15 pts · 233d
My guess is that this is just a branding push. Not so much "the firefox browser will start doing all sorts of non browser things" and more like "we're going to call our non-browser things firefox".
For example:
victorz@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 233d
I thought Thunderbird was a community project nowadays.
viking@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 231d
It is, but sponsored by Mozilla, so some of their staff are probably still involved. And of course is open source, so they could just take the newest release and fork it back, if they'd wish.
victorz@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 233d
I thought that's what the direction a while ago was, as well. Mozilla would focus on the browser only, and make that really good. Now it's a complete 180 if we are to interpret this in the worst possible way.
Hawk@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 53 pts · 233d
You already lost my trust at "something you can turn off". This shit doesn't not need to be enabled by default in the first place.
DFX4509B@lemmy.wtf · 51 pts · 233d
I hope this doesn't screw over the forks like LibreWolf, IceCat, and Waterfox.
twoof@lemmy.ml · 47 pts · 233d
These two statements seem at odds:
And later:
ladel@feddit.uk · 20 pts · 233d
Turn it off with the X in the top corner
VerilyFemme@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 39 pts · 233d
Ladybird cannot get here soon enough
emmanuel_car@fedia.io · 13 pts · 233d
My very first thought.
corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 233d
Can it be the replacement inside Seamonkey too?
tonytins@pawb.social · 35 pts · 233d
baggachipz@sh.itjust.works · 28 pts · 233d
Confused_Emus@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 25 pts · 233d
Unspoken rest of the idea, “Let’s take advantage of that.”
reddig33@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 233d
Mozilla continuing to take wrong turns.
pir8t0x@ani.social · 19 pts · 232d
Are you serious right now bro?!! We don't want an AI Browser!! We want a browser that keeps us private, secure and safe and doesn't include any AI slop....
Agent641@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 232d
So you're saying you want a personalised AI driven gaming browser with advertisments tailored to your interests?
pir8t0x@ani.social · 2 pts · 231d
Not to be rude or anything but I suppose you should read my comment properly again
MinusPi@pawb.social · 6 pts · 231d
It was a joke.
pir8t0x@ani.social · 3 pts · 231d
If that's true then my bad...
Tartas1995@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 232d
He also said, AI must be a choice.
quick_snail@feddit.nl · 5 pts · 232d
He said people should be able to turn it off. We want opt-in for trash features, not opt-out
ClydapusGotwald@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 232d
Yeah but if it’s opt in it won’t look good on spreadsheets for people who didn’t opt out to say to investors look at how many people “use” this feature.
homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world · 19 pts · 233d
While this is obviously not thrilling news to the fuck_ai crowd, it isn’t that bad either.
A new CEO is going to express a grand vision. In fact, we kind of hope they do lest they be weaselly caretakers who flip-flop on major initiatives.
And AI is pretty much every other word in any tech CEO’s statement right now. They get penalized if they don’t use it. I’m reading it here like, “All you big institutional donors, don’t fret we’re still in the goddamned boat with you fuckers” while at the same time saying “well turn it off if you want” - a kind of common sense statement sorely lacking in exactly this kind of statement.
So I give it a B- / C+. Not in danger yet, just needs improvement. A statement like this can’t really “win” anything so you want people to be sort of interested and kinda bored with it. Perfect.
CarbonatedPastaSauce@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 233d
I love your optimism. I don't share it, but I love it. I hope you're right.
towerful@programming.dev · 6 pts · 233d
That's the "Let's go AI!" while also being "We aren't sheep!" message.
Firefox should be the "user choice" browser
Sludgehammer@lemmy.world · 18 pts · 233d
Fuuuucckk!
Strider@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 233d
I've stuck with Mozilla for so long despite missing a lot of things I could've had, you know, for freedom.
But this is not the correct course anymore. This sounds like the same AI bullshit we get shoved down our throats everywhere.
mech@feddit.org · 14 pts · 233d
I hope all those added AI features everyone pushes out now are implemented in a way so that the rest of the software still works after the AI bubble bursts.
Otherwise, we're being steered towards a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions.
Baguette@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 14 pts · 233d
Business speak like always, which tbh normal people should just tune out. We'll see if firefox changes for the good or for the worse when it gets updated.
PattyMcB@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 231d
Give it a little more thought and I'm sure you'll come to the same conclusion as most of us
Steve@startrek.website · 13 pts · 233d
This is not why I use firefox
UnGlasierteGurke@feddit.org · 13 pts · 233d
Take this Everstone, Mozilla.
Maultasche@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 233d
Mindy could save us
Loce@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 232d
Cool, cool... time to unistall Firefox then.
6nk06@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 233d
I forgot to make a donation to Ladybird. Mozilla is fucked up beyond repair.
Krudler@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 232d
I feel like we are just collectively on the cusp of discovering a new browser and walking away from Firefox.
Just the way we all discovered Firefox back in the day and said fuck any other browser.
Xerxos@lemmy.ml · 10 pts · 232d
Some people want AI? Fine, there are plugins for that. Just stop the bullshit and focus on
Add a nice and customizable GUI and plugin support and you are golden.
Are there things an "AI browser" can do that a normal browser with an AI plugin can't? Fine, then improve the plugin support. Stay in your lane.
serpineslair@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 233d
April fools! Haha... Wait... Guys?... It's April, right?.... Guys?.... Tell me it's FUCKING APRIL!
psx_crab@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 232d
raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 233d
Ok get fucked Mozilla. Lynx it is...
philycheeze@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 233d
Does Ladybird have a release date yet?
lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de · 5 pts · 233d
An alpha release for early adopters is supposedly coming in 2026. Fingers crossed!
falynns@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 233d
But what does "modern AI browser" mean. Do I need tokens for web searches? Tokens for page loads? Am I only allowed to go to sites the browser decides based on my past history, also paid for with tokens?
the_riviera_kid@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 233d
Well fuck
brucethemoose@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 233d
Again, I’m a pro (local) LLM extremist as far as the Fediverse goes, but “automated” browsers should not be shipped by default like this.
It should be a separate tool or “mode” or extension you choose to activate temporarily, with very narrow scopes. Things like “turn this webpage dark and get rid of the autoplay videos” or “filter the AI slop from these results” or “put this messy shopping site into a table for me.” Not the 100,000th implementation of an “ask me anything!” Chatbot shoved in your face like Copilot.
And FYI, we already have them. FF doesn’t need to do it:
https://github.com/browseros-ai/BrowserOS
https://github.com/ItzCrazyKns/Perplexica
Honestly, “AI” feels like a disease infecting boards and high level executives. Or perhaps more accurately, the Orions Arm definition of a Meme:
https://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/47abccd6ee698
Even for a company like Mozilla, once the idea is planted, it’s like they can’t think straight, and feel compelled to shove copilot into whatever their specialization is immediately.
buttnugget@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 232d
Thank Satan for all those projects that de-trash Firefox for everyone. Not waterfox though, that dev has explicitly said he isn’t committed to personal privacy and such.
vpol@feddit.uk · 5 pts · 233d
RIP
ladel@feddit.uk · 4 pts · 233d
I feel like they've been threatening to add AI to Firefox for a while now and still nothing has materialised (that I've noticed). As long as it can be disabled, I don't mind that much.
leftascenter@jlai.lu · 5 pts · 233d
Ai icon in the left vertical bar in latest desktop versions
UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml · 4 pts · 231d
Its so over. Time to finally fork off.
SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 233d
Oof on to the next one
Herr_S_aus_H@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 231d
I just switched to using Zen because of this. I need to get used to this new browser but if I can evade AI through this I gladly learn how another browser works.
pfr@piefed.social · 2 pts · 232d
Can I finally install web apps?
chocrates@piefed.world · 2 pts · 233d
So brave is compromised i thought. Chrome is ofc a no go. What do I use?
reseller_pledge609@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 7 pts · 232d
LibreWolf for now. They usually keep the worst of it at bay, at least.
pir8t0x@ani.social · 3 pts · 232d
Forks of Firefox.
lichtmetzger@discuss.tchncs.de · 0 pts · 233d
WeavingSpider@lemmy.world · 0 pts · 232d
So, Mullvad or Vivaldi now?