I also want to add that I 1000% fault Mozilla on this for not diversifying their funding over the years. They knew that this much of their funding was that dependent on Google and they ignored it while, at the same time, advertising themselves as some kind of independent organization. They could have began seriously trying to decouple themselves from Google, but have seemingly repeatedly chose not to.
So how do we know that Google doesn't have their thumb on Firefox right now behind the scenes? Because looking back, Firefox always appeared to compete with Chrome - but I'm now seeing that it only competed "enough" as to possibly create an illusion of true competition. Could Google possibly have influenced this behavior?
well google's product leadership style certainly rubbed off on them. If they actually had the dedication to stick to products rather than shed them at a moment's notice people may've been more confident in using them.
So how do we know that Google doesn't have their thumb on Firefox right now behind the scenes? Because looking back, Firefox always appeared to compete with Chrome - but I'm now seeing that it only competed "enough" as to possibly create an illusion of true competition. Could Google possibly have influenced this behavior?