Mozilla Corporation to Lay Off 250 Staff

Mozilla Corporation, the company behind the Firefox browser, plans to lay off around 250 employees as soon as Tuesday, according to an email sent to staff and a blog post from the company.

The news signals the continuing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic on labor, including technology-focused companies.

"We need to reduce the size of our workforce," Mozilla Corporation CEO Mitchell Baker wrote in the email sent on Tuesday. "This is hard to internalize and I desperately wish there was some other way to set Mozilla up for success in building a better internet. I desperately wish that all those who chose Mozilla as an employer could stay as long as interest and skills connect. Unfortunately, we can't make that happen today." 

Motherboard obtained a copy of the internal email. Mozilla also posted the internal email publicly along with a blog post announcing the changes.

Baker writes Mozilla Corporation, as well as reducing the size of its workforce by approximately 250 roles, will change the teams for around 60 other people. The staff reduction involves closing the company's current operations in Taipei, Taiwan, the email adds.

"Our pre-COVID plan is no longer workable. We have talked about the need for change—including the likelihood of layoffs—since the spring. Today these changes become real," Baker adds in the email.

Baker writes the Firefox organization will focus on "core browser growth" and reduce investment in areas such as developer tools, internal tooling, and platform feature development. The email also mentions the organization's recent focus on developing more revenue generating products, such as its new VPN.

The email says individuals whose roles are impacted in Canada and the United States will be notified on Tuesday.

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