Google is currently locked in a legal battle with the U.S. Department of Justice, which aims to dismantle the tech giant’s search monopoly. As part of the case, the DOJ is pushing to end Google’s practice of paying browsers to set its search engine as the default. However, this move could have serious consequences for Chrome’s main competitor, Firefox — potentially threatening its survival.
Mozilla CFO Eric Muhlheim testified before the DOJ, stating that losing the deal with Google to keep its search as Firefox’s default could trigger a “downward spiral” for the company. He warned that it would force Mozilla to make “significant cuts across the company.”
To provide some context, Google currently pays Mozilla a substantial amount under their search engine agreement—revenue that accounts for 85% of Firefox’s income. Losing this deal could spell the end for Firefox, as it would force Mozilla to scale back investments in browser development, making it less competitive and appealing to users.
Right now, Firefox stands as the only major non-Chromium browser, and its potential collapse would only further cement the market dominance that the DOJ is trying to break. It’s also “the only browser engine not controlled by Big Tech, but by a nonprofit,” making its continued presence in the market both unique and essential.
Muhlheim revealed that Mozilla has explored a potential deal with Microsoft to make Bing the default search engine in Firefox. However, without Google competing for the contract, the revenue Mozilla could negotiate would likely decrease. Moreover, Bing doesn’t monetize search traffic as effectively as Google, making the deal less lucrative.
If the DOJ succeeds in curbing Google’s practices, it could spell difficult times ahead for the non-profit browser. While there’s hope that another search engine might eventually match Google’s offer, that scenario remains uncertain. Until then, Firefox may be forced to endure severe budget cuts and consequences that could ultimately threaten its survival.
