Why Developers Are Buzzing About Mozilla’s Fix-The-Internet Incubator

I've seen software developers in dozens of Slack channels, Telegram groups, and Discord servers pass this image around about Mozilla's Fix-The-Internet Incubator.

I didn't really understand why people were so excited about an incubator for a web browser, but I ended up clicking the link anyway. My naivety was obliterated right away upon visiting mozilla.org/builders.

Mozilla Builders is dedicated to delivering on the promise of the internet, where the people are in control of how the internet is used to shape society and where business models should be sustainable and valuable, but do not need to squeeze every last dollar (or ounce of attention) from the user. 

For instance, we love initiatives that shift the balance of power from centralized forces back towards individuals, citizens and communities.

As one of the co-founders of Raven Protocol, my mission the last 2-3 years has been to play a critical role in decentralization. Specifically, that is to pull the power of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning out of the hands of megacorps (centralized forces) and put it into the hands of the developer community. Only then can we see new creations unimaginable. There currently is very little incentive for large corporations to share the power they hold with the rest of the world. It is to their advantage to continue to hold that monopoly.

So why exactly am I excited about what Mozilla is doing?

They are seeking a wide range of proposals around big categories including, but not limited to:

Collaboration & Society, particularly in view of the current global crisis: (i) Foster better collaboration online, (ii) Grassroots collaboration around issues & emergencies, (iii) Local & neighborhood support networks, (iv) Supporting small businesses, (v) Social money-pooling for issues, people & businesses.

Decentralized Web: build a new, decentralized architecture for the internet from infrastructure, communications, media & money, to using the blockchain and peer-to-peer technologies. This summer we are particularly interested in seeing proposals around how to make decentralized storage services a viable + reliable system for building applications upon.

Messaging & Social Networking: can we build a new way to communicate online that favors privacy, people, and users' interests? What needs to evolve?

Surveillance Capitalism: whether it’s big tech or governments, everyone’s collecting your data. How do we put the user back in control of their data? Can we build new business models for messaging, social networking, news & information that don’t rely on excessive data minute and hijacking our attention?

Misinformation & Content: ideas for services that help us get beyond polarization, filter bubbles and fake news.

Artificial Intelligence that works to benefit communities and citizens.

Web Assembly: 25 years of evolution and improvement, and the web’s "execution environment" - the Javascript engine in every browser - has now broken free as a remarkably fast, safe way to run ANY code. We’re interested in tools and platforms that leverage and build on Wasm as THE way to run applications connected to the internet. What’s the ecosystem missing today? What new things can be built with it that couldn’t be built before? Where can Wasm have the biggest impact?

Search: For most people in the world, search is the gateway to news, shopping, information, and answers that shape the way they live their lives. These searches happen for billions of people from the search boxes in their browsers but also in new and exciting ways like getting a quick answer with your voice from a little screen in your kitchen. For the last 10 years the thought of building a new search experience was left to only the largest companies in the world but with the rise of privacy focused search engines such as DuckDuckGo, the panoply of vertical search engines, cloud platforms, and developer tools, there’s clear evidence that better search is possible. What will be the next major step in making the world’s information open, accessible, and credible for the next generation of users and devices?

Mozilla will literally fund you to fix the internet. They're currently accepting applications. Thousands and thousands of developers will be applying. These will be the next generation of ecosystem builders.

Startup founders + product builders...We're taking apps for summer at Mozilla Builders with a $75K Startup Studio + $16K MVP Lab...Great mission, mentorship, structure, community to build your next thing.

—Bijan Marashi, Studio Lead at Mozilla

What these proposals mean for Mozilla and the future of the internet

Do you see where Mozilla is going with this? If you understand, then you know where the world is going. Mozilla played a critical role in the growth and adoption of the internet starting in 1998.

22 years later, in 2020, the state of the internet is in despair. Our privacy has been stripped. Our data is sold. Large corporations are stealing our attention in the name of ad revenue. And what do users get? Supposedly a free service, but we are paying a heavy price with our freedom.

This is why Mozilla, with some of the smartest people across different industries, is making a huge bet to develop an entirely new internet and surrounding ecosystems. The power will certainly be pulled from centralized forces and put into the hands of the community. We will see a renaissance of the internet and I am deeply excited for the next 22 years to come. What a time to be alive!