Since 2022 the companies that profit from the #Internet have been shedding technical staff in the belief of the power of #AI to replace their #workforce. What are they replacing or redirecting this capacity with?

“Mozilla is eliminating its advocacy division, which fought for a free and open web: The #MozillaFoundation laid off 30 percent of its workforce and completely eliminated its advocacy and global programs divisions, #TechCrunch reports.

While Mozilla is best known for its Firefox web browser, the Mozilla Foundation — the parent of the #MozillaCorporation — describes itself as standing up “for the health of the internet.” With its advocacy and global programs divisions gone, its impact may be lessened going forward.

“Fighting for a free and open internet will always be core to our mission, and advocacy continues to be a critical tool in that work. We’re revisiting how we pursue that work, not stopping it,” #BrandonBorrman, the Mozilla Foundation’s communications chief, said in an email to The Verge. Borrman declined to confirm exactly how many people were laid off, but said it was about “30% of the current team.”

This is Mozilla’s second round of layoffs this year. In February, the Mozilla Corporation laid off around 60 workers said it would be making a “strategic correction” that would involve involve cutting back its work on a Mastodon instance. Mozilla shut down its virtual 3D platform and refocused its efforts on #Firefox and #AI. The Mozilla Foundation had around 120 employees before this more recent round of layoffs, according to TechCrunch.

…

“Navigating this topsy-turvy, distracting time requires laser focus — and sometimes saying goodbye to the excellent work that has gotten us this far because it won’t get us to the next peak,” wrote Syed, who previously worked as the chief executive of The Markup, an investigative news site. “Lofty goals demand hard choices.”

#WhiteCollar / #CorporateGreed <https://www.theverge.com/2024/11/5/24289124/mozilla-foundation-layoffs-advocacy-global-programs>

“#Mozilla is made up of several organizations, one of which is the #MozillaCorporation, which develops Firefox and other technologies, and another is its nonprofit and tax-exempt #MozillaFoundation, which oversees Mozilla’s corporate governance structure and sets the browser maker’s policies. Much of Mozilla’s work focused on advocating for #privacy, #inclusion, and #decentralization of #technologies, and “to create #safer, more #transparent online experiences for #everyone,” which ultimately benefit the #browser maker and its #users.

Announcing the layoffs in an email to all employees on October 30, the Mozilla Foundation’s executive director #NabihaSyed confirmed that two of the foundation’s major divisions — #Advocacy and #GlobalPrograms — are “no longer a part of our structure.””

There you go. One side of Mozilla builds the tools of the Internet, the other does… I can’t for the life of me see what. It’s the #MozillaFoundation who cant engineer the tools that are doing “deals” with others to make things safer.

The power to make change for the better of the Internet is being moved from direct impact, ie: basic technology and applied applications TO soft corporate influence through manifestos, papers, jobs and pay for influencers and collaborations with third parties…

I know what is more effective. Basic engineering and applied products because it scales.

#WhiteCollar / #Layoffs / #CorporatePolicy <https://techcrunch.com/2024/11/05/mozilla-foundation-lays-off-30-staff-drops-advocacy-division/>

@firefox More on #Mozilla in general: https://tube.kockatoo.org/w/cybhHJfhyXmwyED53Sk2F3

Update. @sj argues that the #MozillaFoundation contradicted its own earlier positions when it endorsed the Open Source Initiative (#osi, @osi) definition of #OpenSource #AI.
https://samjohnston.org/2024/12/18/a-forgotten-manifesto-mozilla-betrays-its-own-values-on-open-source-ai/

@jbz Maybe it's time for the #MozillaFoundation to end its dumb side projects and focus on what it was good at back in the day.

@sadneurons @kev I've just become a Patreon of #fosstoden to support the work of this site and the team running it, as I do for the #OpenDocumentFoundation & #MozillaFoundation.

Hopefully more members will contribute financially - those who are able - to keep it alive and kicking for many years to come. I very much hope we can keep it free of advertising or corporate takeover!

Not sure about this Mastodon app though. Seems to lack some important features: bookmarks & list creation for one.