Mozilla released its new annual activity report (State of Mozilla 2017) this week. It includes financial information for the year 2017. Mozilla specifies that the publication of such a report occurs when its tax return for the previous year is submitted.
The structure of Mozilla is made up of Mozilla Foundation (non-profit organization) and Mozilla Corporation which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the foundation. Mozilla Corporation has more than 1,000 full-time employees worldwide.
In 2017, Mozilla revenues reached $ 562 million, up 8% from 2016, and with cash flow down to $ 101 million. Spending rose 32% in one year, or $ 426 million in 2017. The report includes the acquisition of Pocket in February 2017 for $ 30 million.
Nearly 96% of Mozilla's revenues ($ 539 million) come from royalties, compared to 97% in 2016. These fees are contracts with search engines and information providers. In particular, 93% of revenues related to royalties are derived from contracts with search engines – in particular Google – and exposure in Firefox.
These contracts were signed until November 2020. We will remember that since the release of Firefox Quantum, Google has again become the default search engine in the United States, with the premature termination of the commercial agreement with Yahoo.
