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Mozilla is shutting down Pocket, their read-it-later and content discovery app, and Fakespot, their browser extension that analyzes the authenticity of online product reviews. (blog.mozilla.org)

submitted 1 week ago by Pro@programming.dev to c/firefox@lemmy.ml

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[–] LWD@lemm.ee 42 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I understand retiring Pocket after a long, long run.

But what's up with ending FakeSpot? They just bought that. They spent an undisclosed amount of money and are now abandoning it.

Is the FakeSpot shuttering a sign of money totally wasted, or should I be concerned that the FakeSpot TOS allowed them to sell user data (specifically in the event of an acquisition) right before the Mozilla acquisition?

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 22 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It's astounding how stupid that decision was. Fakespot, quite literally a device to help deter people from buying products, was gobbled up by way too much money by Mozilla - who - apparently wanted it to make profit? How?! Why?! Why did they even buy it?

I think it was just executive idiocy. They searched for extensions with the term privacy in them, bought it, and thought it would make their product worth more. I'm getting really tired of companies just sunsetting products the instant they don't make money.

We really need an open version of fakespot.

[–] LWD@lemm.ee 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Teixeira v Mozilla (2024):

Apart from Firefox, none of Mozilla’s other product offerings were profitable, with the Pocket product notably being allowed to operate in a state of negative profitability for over 5 years before Mr. Teixeira joined Mozilla.

[–] bunitor 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

do we have any idea about how this lawsuit is going?

[–] LWD@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago

Stuff is happening as late as yesterday, so it's progressing pretty quickly

[–] madcaesar@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I think it can be VERY valuable especially today with all the ai spam.

It's not about buying less, it's about people making you a trusted source when they look to buy.

I cannot believe they are stupidly abandoning this, it could be a gold mine

[–] Vincent@feddit.nl 11 points 1 week ago

I expect that Fakespot already had problems funding themselves, and thus they were a relatively cheap acquisition, and now it turned out they couldn't cover their own costs as part of Mozilla either. But I've never used it so I have no idea.

[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

what’s up with ending FakeSpot? They just bought that.

Assuming the tool was not accepted and used well enough by the user base. Also Mozilla got all user data and the technology. Maybe they plan on a new project that implements part of it in the future? Mozilla is currently experimenting a lot. Shutting down lot of services should be expected.

[–] lime@feddit.nu 5 points 1 week ago

it was never available outside the usa i think. hard to get useful market penetration then