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Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

calpaterson.com

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Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#81
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In this case it probably is though. They have done everything else than focus on the core product since he left and they continue that trend today even if it's failing one.

That may be true, but it sounds like you particularly want to pin it on the 'woke' aspect even though there's a lot of other things involved.

I honestly think that is the main reason though. They are like many others obsessed with identity politics and push away everyone else that disagree (like myself). They send money on worthless (and racist) diversity projects, feminist filmmakers, random projects that they hope to bring in another source of revenue etc.

For example, their VPN service is not actually theirs, it's a Swedish company called Mullvad that actually provides the service. I am already a user of Mullvad and I can't get Firefox VPN. Isn't that kind of strange? Even if I could get it, why would I pay Mozilla extra money for a service that I can get cheaper directly from the provider? Not only that, but Mullvad accepts cash and I believe Mozilla VPN probably won't. So the privacy aspect is already bigger with simply using Mullvad to begin with. They go into the VPN business because they want to make money but paint the picture of that they want to protect the privacy of consumers. It's just a dishonest picture they're painting and I think users sense that a mile away these days. It's the woke mindset that they pretend to care but doesn't really. They just follow like so many other tech companies what's popular to care about in California and completely forget that the world is larger than one US state. And even if they did care, really a VPN service? That market is so overly saturated by hundreds of services it doesn't require a genius to realize that this will be a hard thing to make any kind of dough on.

Their ventures into other things have mostly been failing ones and if they really want to get rid of google the obvious choice is to monetize Firefox itself. I, like many others, would gladly pay for Firefox if I knew it went to the development of Firefox and maybe to other projects that benefits it like Rust, MDN etc. But if I donate today, my money will most likely go to Bakers ridiculous salary.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#82

You also run into the issue of finding a replacement. Given that firefox appears to be sinking who will come in? If someone chooses to come in your going to have to pay a lot more them, and the team they want to bring in. So it will cost a lot more than keep the current staff, and you want the current staff to avoid the increase costs. The only reason firefox staff would be thrown out is if they can't turn it around…

> Given that firefox appears to be sinking who will come in?

Someone who believes the ship is not sinking, who has a vision how to save the ship, and who agrees to be paid only if ship continues floating.

Hiring a CEO who believes the ship is going to sink is a straight way to sink that ship.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#83

I'm two fences on Firefox doing "too many unrelated things" as the article suggests. Firefox OS has been pretty much unsuccessful, but it sort of made sense? It started to be made when Firefox was still on top on desktop, but mobile started eating its lunch; and it was clear that Firefox need to do something about it, or the future will be all Chrome and Safari, on the two locked-down platforms. Which eventually happ…

We can’t even get developers to use FF, the times I read about it here (and maybe it is a vocal minority idk) that a developer doesn’t like a certain feature. Or they are missing feature X from chrome.

I think it would be a valid strategy if you do go after developers and sysadmins. So pour resources in getting parity where devs think they would switch.

In general whenever I help installing software for someone, I install FF, and I think I have installed in at least a couple dozen computers now.

Aka do a Blender. Blender has gained momentum by getting things right, not adding features nobody wants, or Blender sidegigs.

There is also the problem of addon monetization, Chrome has a whole ecosystem of people earning revenue from add ons. That’s a invested network you have to deal with at some point.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#85
post #17

The article notes the increase in pay and states > Mitchell Baker, Mozilla's top executive, was paid $2.4m in 2018 but doesn't offer any consideration or speculation as to why this is exaggerated. It's entirely possible that without that particular exec, Firefox would have been even worse off, or would have taken another direction with regards to privacy, etc. My subjective feeling is that $2.4m does indeed seem too…

Or maybe they shouldn't have let Brendan Eich go in the first place, who seems to be doing quite well with Brave right now. Maybe a good CEO isn't defined just by the salary he or she receives?

Eich didn't lead Mozilla in its prime of browser market share, yet he is often brought up as if it were so.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did you come up with that comparison? Running a standalone company from the top is very different than the responsibilities of a junior VP in a trillion-dollar organization.

Especially in terms of potential liability.

What "liability"? She's running it into the ground so far.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#87
It is interesting to note that Brendan Eich's severance pay when he was forced out of Mozilla was just $113,000.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2015/11/30/mozilla...

Also interesting to note that Brendan Eich too plotted a chart showing Baker's pay vs Mozilla stock's performance: https://twitter.com/BrendanEich/status/1217512049716035584

How anyone can claim that sort of pay hike when showing very poor results is beyond me.

This was on HN just a few months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22058629

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#89
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does there exist a "market" for CEOs of failing browser companies? I'm not aware of it. Her position would roughly map to that of a junior VP in Google or Microsoft nomenclature. I strongly doubt those people make anywhere near $2.4M/yr.

How did you come up with that comparison? Running a standalone company from the top is very different than the responsibilities of a junior VP in a trillion-dollar organization.

And, not to mention, a VP of engineering at Google probably does make something like that amount of money (possibly more). Directors make ~800k-1m, and VP is two levels higher.

Re: Firefox usage is down despite Mozilla's top exec pay going up

#90
Firefox market share is certainly down but is usage really down 85%? I thought the market share was down partly because of smart phones and the browser market has expanded a lot of the last 10 years, especially in poorer countries were more and more people get internet access.
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