Search Engine Optimization and Internet Marketing Service

Mozilla’s General Counsel, Harvey Anderson, announced the Russian builds of Firefox 3.1 will drop Google for Yandex. He explained that after months of research and surveys, Mozilla learned that their “Russian users really wanted direct access to the Yandex search.” So in the next build of Firefox, the default search provider will be Yandex for Russian users.  - Search Engine Land

Yandex is biggest Google competitor in Russia and the deal between Firefox and Yandex signifies that Google must keep its cash flowing into Mozilla foundation in order to keep owing its search box. It’s not clear if Yandex paid Mozilla, but logic tells there was more to this move. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Mozilla is really pushing user experience to the next level and doing everything in it’s power to satisfy users and win more market share.
2. Mozilla is playing tease games between search engines and is telling search giants that it sells market share to the highest bidder.

Yandex is #1 Russian search engine, and I am inclined to think that Mozilla is going after Microsoft first and cash second, but we’ll never know of cash transactions unless publicly admitted.