End of Firefox? Google joined by Linux, Microsoft and more to make Chrome, Edge better

The Linux Foundation, alongside Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Opera, have announced today the formation of the new Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers. As the name suggests, this group has been formed for the support of open-source Chromium browsers so that they can continue to receive the necessary resources, be it financially, or in some other form.

The initiative has been undertaken by the Linux Foundation in partnership with Google, and Microsoft, Meta, and Opera, have since joined it. In its press release, the Linux Foundation has explained what this consortium is about. It writes:

The Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers will provide a neutral space where industry leaders, academia, developers, and the broader open source community can work together to support projects within the Chromium ecosystem. By fostering collaboration, the initiative aims to remove barriers to innovation, expand adoption, and ensure that projects within the Chromium ecosystem receive the resources they need to thrive.

 

The Chromium projects themselves will remain under current, existing governance structures while just the new Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers will be housed under the Linux Foundation.

In its blog post on the Chromium website, Google has explained why the Linux Foundation has been chosen to manage this as well as its thoughts about the whole thing as it cites millions of dollars in cost just for maintenance:

In 2024, Google made over 100,000 commits to Chromium, accounting for ~94 percent of contributions. While we have no intention of reducing this investment, we continue to welcome others stepping up to invest more.

 

The Supporters of Chromium-based Browsers fund will be managed by the Linux Foundation, following their long established practices for open governance, prioritizing transparency, inclusivity, and community-driven development. We’re thrilled to have Meta, Microsoft, and Opera on-board as the initial members to pledge their support.

Microsoft has also added its own thoughts and it mainly involves its aim to improve Edge while continuing its contributions to Chromium:

Six years ago, Microsoft announced that we would adopt the Chromium open-source project for our Edge browser. Today, our open-source principles remain unchanged and we continue to directly contribute to Chromium, bringing our expertise to the project

Opera has also chimed in:

For us, being part of the Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers from the get-go represents an opportunity to take an even more active role in Chromium’s development and future direction.

Meta, so far, has not released a press release or a statement.

What this means is that Chromium browsers are likely going to pick up even more steam, and this may not bode too well for Gecko engine based-Firefox, which is struggling hard against the Chromium juggernaut and especially Google with just ~6% desktop market share.

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