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Does Google need Mozilla?

Does Google need to hand over millions of dollars to Mozilla in order to be Firefox's default search engine?
Written by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Contributing Writer

Is Google's search deal with Mozilla over? According to some reports, Mozilla has declined to comment, according to others, the deal is still on. But a more important question is this one - Does Google need Mozilla?

It's clear that Mozilla needs Google. Back in 2010 a whopping 84% of Mozilla's $123.2 million revenue came from Google. Without the Google deal, it's hard to see how Mozilla could survive.

But does Google need Mozilla? More specifically, does Google need to hand over millions of dollars to Mozilla in order to be Firefox's default search engine?

I don't think so. Here are just a few reasons why:

When Firefox first came on the scene, its USP (Unique Selling Point) was that it was fast, lightweight and secure. However, over the years I've watched as the browser became bloated and encumbered with features that people don't really want. I've seen memory leak issues go unresolved months, sometimes years (some people still claim the browser has serious memory leaks). And when it comes to security, well, you're probably just as safe sticking to Internet Explorer (8 or 9) or going with Chrome.

It seems to me that Mozilla has steered Firefox into irrelevance.

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