Mozilla’s Mark Surman seeks rebel alliance to counter Big AI dominance

Mozilla president Mark Surman is seeking to rally a coalition of startups, developers and public-interest technologists to challenge the growing dominance of major artificial intelligence firms such as OpenAI and Anthropic, according to a Moneycontrol report.

Speaking in a recent interview, Surman said the future of AI should not be shaped by a small group of powerful companies and that Mozilla is working to build what he described as a rebel alliance focused on openness, transparency and accountability. He said the nonprofit’s long-standing mission to keep the internet open is now being extended to artificial intelligence as the technology advances rapidly with limited oversight.

Surman, who leads the organisation best known for the Firefox browser, said AI represents a far larger inflection point than previous shifts in technology and that no single organisation can counter the influence of Big Tech alone. In an interview with CNBC, he said the effort is driven by a shared belief among participants that AI should serve the public interest rather than a winner-takes-all commercial model.

Mozilla plans to deploy part of its roughly $1.4 billion in reserves to support mission-driven technology companies, nonprofits and internal initiatives focused on trustworthy AI, according to its own disclosures. The strategy is intended to offer an alternative to heavily funded AI firms expanding at speed with few constraints.

The funding gap remains significant. Mozilla Ventures, launched in 2022 with an initial $35 million commitment, is seeking additional capital, while OpenAI has raised more than $60 billion and Anthropic over $30 billion, according to PitchBook. Major technology companies are also investing tens of billions of dollars annually in AI infrastructure and talent.

Surman has also pointed to a challenging political environment, noting that the US administration’s emphasis on competing with China has made calls for stronger AI regulation more difficult. He said this has increased pressure on organisations advocating safeguards and transparency.

Mozilla’s involvement in AI predates the recent generative boom. The foundation began focusing on trustworthy AI in 2019 and later launched Mozilla Ventures and Mozilla.ai to support the ecosystem. Mozilla Ventures has invested in more than 55 companies so far, including several AI startups, with more investments expected in 2026.

Surman said the long-term goal is to help build a mainstream, open-source AI ecosystem that is both sustainable and competitive, arguing that openness can still succeed economically even as Big Tech firms continue to dominate the sector.