State of Mozilla

Our flagship product, the Firefox Web browser, is and will continue to be a fundamental lever in driving the Web forward and advancing the Mozilla mission. Firefox for Android is our popular mobile browser which currently enjoys a 4.5-star average rating in Google Play.

Firefox OS is the first truly open operating system for mobile devices, delivering the same security, privacy, customization and user control that people have come to expect from the Firefox browser. Mozilla has built the technologies and APIs to make the Web a rich and viable platform for the mobile industry. With the support of valued partners from across the mobile ecosystem, Firefox OS phones are now on sale in 10 markets globally (as of mid-November 2013), and Mozilla will continue to advance its development and adoption.

With the Mozilla Webmaker program, we are aiming to move millions of people from Web users to active Web creators who will build the next great experiences. The goal is to create a more Web-literate planet through tools and learning programs that fuel creativity for people of all ages.

At Mozilla, we measure success by how much we improve the overall health of the Web and advance the interests of users and developers. We succeed when we build products that people love, and when other organizations adopt the traits and features we care about into competing products.

Unlike our major competitors, 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.

Mozilla’s consolidated reported revenue (Mozilla Foundation and all subsidiaries) for 2012 was $311M (US), up approximately 90 percent from $163M in 2011.

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

We currently have several key business partnerships and are actively exploring new ones, as well as other potential revenue opportunities. We’ll continue to build great products that help people enjoy the richness of the Internet, and we’re confident that this allows us to identify appropriate sources of revenue that serve both the mission and our users.

Some key Mozilla Foundation projects like Lightbeam have received grants from organizations such as the Ford Foundation.

Our search partnerships are designed as multi-year contracts. Near the end of each contract, Mozilla negotiates market-value rates from multiple search providers based on the present and future value our products provide.  At the end of 2011, Mozilla negotiated a new agreement with Google based on growth and impact from our Firefox desktop browser.

Mozilla invests in both people and products to further our mission to keep the Web open and to retain our impact on the Internet landscape. We continue to spend a significant majority of our expenses on staffing our technology and development, and recently have increased our spending in marketing new product lines. Over the last few years, Mozilla’s investment focus has been significant in new areas such as our mobile and cloud services products. In particular, the market launch of Firefox OS and significant upgrades to our Firefox for Android browser have advanced our goal of opening the mobile ecosystem for users and developers worldwide.

Mozilla’s tax returns and financial documents from previous years are all available on this site.

We currently have partnerships with a number of search providers that differ by market. In December 2011, we announced a new agreement with Google as the default search provider in Firefox, which extends at least three years. The specific terms of this commercial agreement are subject to traditional confidentiality requirements, and we’re not at liberty to disclose them.

The first Firefox OS devices went on sale in July 2013, so are in the very early stages of market development and user acquisition. Mozilla’s focus is on delivering a superior user experience and getting developers excited, and not on generating revenue from Firefox OS at this time.

There is very high demand in emerging markets for smartphone technology at a reasonable price without long-term contractual carrier subsidies. By using Web technology, Firefox OS and its apps are one layer closer to the hardware, so less memory and CPU is needed to get high performance. The result is a full Web experience that’s attainable for many feature phone users, enabling people to purchase their first smartphone.

Firefox OS – launched in 10 markets and growing – taps into the largest digital ecosystem there is: the Web. We believe the Web is the best platform for innovation, connecting, sharing and for building the world that we want.

Mozilla has announced support for Firefox OS from 18 major operators that span the globe: América Móvil, China Unicom, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Three Group, KDDI, KT, MegaFon, Qtel, SingTel, Smart, Sprint, Telecom Italia Group, Telefónica, Telenor, Telstra, TMN and VimpelCom. As of mid-November, 2013, Firefox OS smartphones are on sale commercially through Telefónica and Deutsche Telekom in 10 Latin American and European markets.

As of mid-November 2013, there are three different Firefox OS phones on sale: the ZTE Open, the ALCATEL ONE TOUCH Fire, and the LG Fireweb. Huawei has also committed to manufacturing Firefox OS smartphones, and Foxconn announced in June 2013 that it plans to build a range of Firefox OS devices.  We expect to announce additional OEM support soon.

Market launch timing for a Firefox OS phone targeted to U.S. consumers is dependent on our operator and manufacturer partners, and we are actively exploring that opportunity but don't have specific plans to announce at this time.

We are not providing forecasts or projections at this time.

Mozilla is not a lobbying operation. Notwithstanding, we take firm stands when the welfare of the Web and its users are at stake.

On issues such as SOPA/PIPA, CISPA, and more recently, government surveillance revelations, Mozilla has voiced its views, sought to educate users and taken steps to catalyze grassroots action. As with most issues of importance, we believe education, listening and dialogue amongst stakeholders are critical to finding solutions. Mozilla has testified before government bodies and provided input to numerous agencies and NGOs on strengthening the Internet. Our acclaimed Firefox Add-on, Lightbeam, seeks to educate users on matters of privacy in their online lives.

Mozilla’s efforts have resulted in being named the Most Trusted Internet Company for Privacy in 2012, according to a study performed by the Ponemon Institute.