Will the Google Antitrust Case Be the End of Firefox?

The U.S. Justice Department (DOJ)’s push to break up Google’s search dominance might seem like a win for internet competition, but not everyone sees it that way. Mozilla, the nonprofit behind Firefox, warns it could be one of the biggest casualties if Google is banned from paying to be the default search engine in third-party browsers.

In a recent court hearing, Mozilla CFO Eric Muhlheim called the proposal “very frightening,” noting that 85% of Firefox’s funding comes directly from a search deal with Google. Losing that would mean deep cuts across the company, risking not only Firefox’s future but Mozilla’s broader open-source and research projects too.

DOJ’s battle to break Google’s search monopoly could redefine big tech

By challenging Google’s search monopoly, the DOJ hopes to give users more freedom to explore alternative search engines.

TechloyKelechi Edeh

This comes amid the recent DOJ’s antitrust case accusing Google of maintaining monopolies in both general search and search advertising by locking in default deals, especially with Apple and Android manufacturers. The court has already ruled that Google violated antitrust laws through these exclusionary tactics.

Ironically, limiting these deals could have the unintended effect of weakening smaller players like Mozilla and backfire on the DOJ’s goal of promoting competition in the browser market. This would be detrimental to overall competition because if Firefox folds, Gecko, its underlying browser engine and the only major browser engine not owned by Big Tech, disappears, leaving Google’s Blink and Apple’s WebKit to dominate.

This isn’t the only big tech antitrust case unfolding. The FTC is also taking on Meta, accusing the company of using a “buy or bury” strategy to eliminate threats like Instagram and WhatsApp before they could become real competition. This shows a broader trend of regulators cracking down on what they deem as "monopolies" by big tech.

Meta’s antitrust battle over Instagram and WhatsApp finally hits the courtroom

If the courts rule in favour of the FTC, Meta might have to give up some of its social platforms.

TechloyLouis Eriakha

Back at Mozilla, executives are already exploring alternatives like Microsoft Bing, but early signs suggest the financial returns wouldn’t come close to matching Google’s payments. And even when Mozilla previously tried to switch users to a different default search engine, the backlash was swift, despite users being able to change it manually.

In trying to rein in Google’s dominance, regulators may inadvertently shrink the already limited pool of independent internet tools. For Firefox, a win against Google might feel a lot like a loss.