Mozilla bets $1.4 bn to tip balance of AI towards 'openness, agency, trust'

Mozilla says it is committing its financial reserves, products and community influence to counter the growing concentration of power in AI, as a handful of companies race to dominate the full AI stack

In its 2025-26 State of Mozilla report, the organisation said it plans to deploy over $1.4 billion in reserves to support what it calls a “rebel alliance” of open-source developers, mission-driven startups and public-interest technologists building alternatives to closed, platform-controlled artificial intelligence systems. The goal, Mozilla said, is to push the direction of AI towards openness, user agency and trust, at a time when the industry is increasingly shaped by a small number of well-funded players.

Why Mozilla says AI needs a counterweight

According to the report, control over models, infrastructure, data and distribution is becoming concentrated faster than in previous technology cycles. Mozilla warns that this could narrow who gets to build AI, who benefits from it, and who ultimately decides how it is used.

To respond, Mozilla said it is using more than just capital. Alongside its reserves, it is leaning on its brand, global reach and long-standing open-source communities to support organisations that prioritise transparency and user choice over scale and speed.

Where the money is going

Mozilla said it expects to spend about $650 million across its portfolio in 2026. Around 80 per cent of that will go towards maintaining and growing its core products, including Firefox and Thunderbird. The remaining 20 per cent will be directed at what it describes as trustworthy, open-source AI efforts.

 

That includes investments through Mozilla Ventures, which has backed more than 50 “responsible” technology companies so far, as well as grants and fellowships for public-interest AI work. Mozilla has also set up new internal organisations, such as Mozilla.ai, aimed at creating alternatives to closed AI platforms.

 

The organisation said that these investments are meant to make open source AI “easier than closed” for developers, by lowering the cost and complexity of building on open-source tools instead of relying on proprietary systems.

Competing in a lopsided AI market

In an interview with CNBC, Mozilla Foundation president Mark Surman acknowledged that Mozilla is operating at a significant financial disadvantage compared to the largest AI companies. While Mozilla has about $1.4 billion in reserves and no debt, companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic have raised tens of billions of dollars, backed by major technology firms and investors.

Surman told CNBC that Mozilla does not see this as a fight it can win alone and thus is building a loose network of startups, developers and public-interest technologists who are trying to create more open and trustworthy alternatives to dominant AI platforms. 

According to Surman, the idea is not to outspend big AI players, but to identify weak points in the current market such as concerns around transparency, safety and long-term sustainability, and support smaller teams that are willing to take a different approach.