Live data from Hacker News

Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

blog.mozilla.org

591–600 of 970 posts

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#591

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't really seem to be trying to fairly describe the problem. With Pocket, Mozilla forced it on everyone, then two years later they bought the service, then many years later they eventually killed it for everyone. They didn't even try the approach of making it an opt-in extension that users could install if they desired. The unoffensive strategy was obvious all along, and they just didn't choose that route. The…

> With Pocket, Mozilla forced it on everyone, It was ridiculously easy to turn off. Making a fairly non-obtrusive service opt-out instead of opt-in is not forcing it on everyone.

They literally forced every user to either accept the invasion of the proprietary service, or have to take extra steps to disable it on each of their devices. Neither of those is actually a reasonable, respectful way to treat your users.

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#592
post #482

Everyone is reacting negatively to the focus on AI, but does Mozilla really have a choice? This is going to be a rehash of the same dynamic that has happened in all the browser wars: Leading browser introduces new feature, websites and extensions start using that feature, runner-up browsers have no choice but to introduce that feature or further lose marketshare. Chrome and Edge have already integrated LLM capabiliti…

> Everyone is reacting negatively to the focus on AI, but does Mozilla really have a choice?

Do these type of also-ran strategies actually work for a competitor the size of Mozilla? Is AI integration required for them to grow or at least maintain?

My hunch is this will hurt Firefox more than help it. Even if I were to believe their was a meaningful demand for these kind of features in the browser I doubt Mozilla is capable of competing with the likes of Google & Microsoft in meaningful matter in the AI arena.

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#593

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you were on a hiring committee, and your otherwise-qualified-candidate had a political opinion you objected to in this way, perhaps with a similar donation, would you refuse to hire them?

If you were about to hire a candidate and then found out that they donate regularly to the “Arrest kbelder and deport them to El Salvador” fund, would you hire them?

Is that a no?

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#594
post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "other things" is what most people seem to have problem with. Mozilla burns a batshit amount of money on feel good fancies. If it were focused on its core mission -- building great software in key areas -- it would see it can't afford this, because that's the same money that if saved would make them financially independent of Google.

> Mozilla burns a batshit amount of money on feel good fancies. How much?

  > In 2018, Baker received $2,458,350 in compensation from Mozilla.
  > In 2020, after returning to the position of CEO, Baker's salary was more than $3 million.
  > In 2021, her salary rose again to more than $5.5 million,
  > and again to over $6.9 million in 2022.
  >
  > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitchell_Baker#Mozilla_Foundation_and_Mozilla_Corporation

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#595

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What Mozilla is good at ... Firefox - the one thing they do not want to work on is the only thing that makes them special.

They do work on it. A lot. But the issue is browsers don't make money. You can't charge for it, you can't add ads to it, etc. You're competing with the biggest companies in the world (Google, Apple), all of whom are happy to subsidize a browser for other reasons.

You can and you should. There are people that are happy to pay for email, for search, for videos, for news, for music. I don't see why there wouldn't be people happy to pay for a browser.

The idea that software is free is completely wrong and should be something that an organization like Mozilla should combat. If software is free, there can be no privacy, it's as simple as that.

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#597

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> With Pocket, Mozilla forced it on everyone, It was ridiculously easy to turn off. Making a fairly non-obtrusive service opt-out instead of opt-in is not forcing it on everyone.

They literally forced every user to either accept the invasion of the proprietary service, or have to take extra steps to disable it on each of their devices. Neither of those is actually a reasonable, respectful way to treat your users.

I just never used Pocket. I don’t think I had to change my habits or settings to do so.

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#598

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What Mozilla is good at ... Firefox - the one thing they do not want to work on is the only thing that makes them special.

They do work on it. A lot. But the issue is browsers don't make money. You can't charge for it, you can't add ads to it, etc. You're competing with the biggest companies in the world (Google, Apple), all of whom are happy to subsidize a browser for other reasons.

Doesn't Firefox make them the lion's share of their profits just from the Google payments?

If they let Firefox atrophy to the point it will have no market share, let's see how that works out for them

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#599
post #478

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1000% The two places it's mind boggling that Mozilla doesn't have a product are (1) identity (especially as a provider to 3rd parties) and (2) instant messaging (especially on mobile). They were important 10 years ago, they're more important today, and the existing providers all have huge privacy concerns.

> instant messaging Doesn't Mozilla have their own Matrix server?

It does, but it's mostly for coordinating development rather than a consumer facing product. Personally I'm not convinced Mozilla IM would make sense though. It's a crowded msrket with lots of other options.

Re: Mozilla appoints new CEO Anthony Enzor-Demeo

#600
post #270

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Translation? Image search? Live captions? Dubbing? Summary? Rewrite text better?

Translate sure. Image search? I have a search engine for that. Live captions? Didn’t ask for that, wouldn’t use it. Dubbing? Ditto. Summary? Wouldn’t trust an AI for that, plus it’s just more tik-tokification. No fucking thanks. I don’t need to experience life as short blips of everything. Rewrite text better? Might as well kill myself once I’m ready to let a predictive text bot write shit in my place. So… no thanks.

Live captions and dubbing can be a game changer for:

- non native speakers - moving away from the english-centric web - impaired people

Post reply on HN