A Mozilla IPO?

Silicon Alley Insider: The Mozilla/Firefox IPO

"In the past few years, Mozilla's open-source Firefox browser has done what most people would have considered impossible, which is chip away at Microsoft's choke-hold on the browser market. Considering Microsoft's advantages in this market--Internet Explorer comes pre-installed on nearly every PC--this is nothing short of amazing.

"Estimates of Firefox's current penetration vary, but most put the browser's share at more than 15% (with 100 million+ downloads)..."

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Silicon Alley Insider: The Mozilla-Firefox IPO Debate, Part 2: Mozilla Responds

"Mozilla COO John Lilly responded to our earlier post and said the Mozilla Foundation does not plan to take Mozilla Corp. public. This is not a surprise: As we noted earlier, Mozilla Foundation head Mitchell Baker has maintained a similar stance for years.

"John and Mitchell are obviously entitled to their opinions, and we respect both (the opinions and the people). As officers in the entity that owns 100% of the stock of Mozilla Corp, John and Mitchell also currently control the company's future, so all IPO debate at this point is moot..."

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Between the Lines: Should Mozilla Go Public? In a Word: No.

"Hmmm. Is Blodget having dot-com boom fantasies again? Maybe not--although renaming a company after a dead brand like Netscape doesn't make sense. Dead brands rarely come back. WordPerfect? Pan-Am? Indeed, Mozilla could build a nice business--in fact you could argue that it already has. But that doesn’t mean it should go public..."

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Related Stories:

• Will Success, or All That Money From Google, Spoil Firefox?(Nov 12, 2007)
• The Many Aspects of "Non-Profit"(Nov 06, 2007)
• Mozilla Can Live Without Google's Money, Baker Says(Oct 26, 2007)
• Google Funds Hold Firefox Fate (For Sure)(Oct 25, 2007)