Ars: What is the actual path to Gecko on iPhone? Apple now offers routes for alternative engines in the EU and Japan. Which remaining obstacles are Apple requirements and which are engineering cost constraints?
varma: The biggest challenge for us is that we are not a big technology company, so for us, creating two different versions of iOS, one for the markets where this is possible and then for the markets where it is not possible, would mean that we would have to basically double the size of our iOS team. So what we’ve been pushing on Apple and the regulators is: can we have a single set of global rules that allows us to build Gecko around the world?
I think it’s fantastic what’s happened in certain markets, but the reality is that it’s very challenging for us to invest in creating this bifurcated global system. There are also limitations like, well, how do you appear in the App Store? You can only have a single application. There are challenges about how to do the migration and things that are there as well. But I think the main challenge remains that the cost increases significantly by having to create two totally different versions on iOS.
Ars: Speaking of costs and revenue, Firefox depends on its search agreement with Google. There is concern that if this ends, Firefox could find itself in a more difficult situation. But also, in the long term, are you concerned about your dependence on Google search revenue in a time of rapid change with LLMs potentially calling into question Google’s long-term search dominance?
varma: This is definitely a great question. I don’t think anyone really knows what’s going to happen in the long term, but in the short term I would say I think competition is great; that’s why I work in Firefox. It would be great if Google had legitimate competitors, which I think is the right outcome for consumers. I think it is the best result for Firefox.
But in the short term, Google is doing very well, so when we look at it as the power of AI and LLMs, that doesn’t mean that people are moving from Google searches to LLMs yet. In fact, it is growing the overall pie. Search queries and monetizable queries are actually increasing. Google is also integrating AI Mode pretty deeply into search results. And again, this applies to technicians versus the average person. For the average person, the muscle memory of having visited Google is still very strong.
