Mozilla appoints new CEO and says Firefox will evolve into an AI web browser

Anthony Enzor‑DeMeo, who joined Mozilla just a year ago to lead Firefox, announced his appointment as CEO on December 16. In his statement, he thanked outgoing leader Laura Chambers for her “exceptional leadership” during a pivotal period, crediting her with bringing “clarity, stability and focus”. The organization’s governance remains unchanged: Nabiha Syed continues to head the Mozilla Foundation after Mitchell Baker’s early‑year departure, and Mark Surman stays on as chief executive officer of the company.

Enzor‑DeMeo frames trust as Mozilla’s core credo. “When I joined Mozilla, it was clear that trust was going to become the defining issue in technology and the browser would be where this battle would play out.”, he said. He warned that artificial intelligence is already reshaping how people search, shop and make decisions, processes that are increasingly opaque. “People want software that is fast, modern, but also honest about what it does. They want to understand what’s happening and to have real choices.”, the new CEO added, emphasizing that trust must outweigh all other considerations and that Mozilla aims to become the benchmark for trustworthy tech, not merely a slogan.

His strategic roadmap rests on three pillars. First, every Mozilla product must empower users through privacy‑by‑design controls, transparent data handling and simplicity. Second, monetization will be open and accountable. Third, Mozilla will broaden its ecosystem of trusted applications, with Firefox remaining the anchor. Over the next three years, Mozilla will invest heavily in integrating AI into Firefox, but any AI features will be opt‑out, adhering strictly to the Mozilla Manifesto and its principle‑driven differentiation from competitors.

While Mozilla will not build its own large‑language model (LLM), Firefox will incorporate an AI mode that can tap into multiple models, both open‑source and proprietary, chosen by the user. Enzor‑DeMeo acknowledges the erosion of trust surrounding AI and stresses that browsers are becoming the control point of digital life, a shift that regulatory changes favor Mozilla’s mission. The challenge now lies in translating this principle‑first vision into tangible advantages in a fiercely competitive browser market revitalized by AI.