Mozilla Corp. has tapped a familiar face to helm its business operations amid a high-stakes push into open-source AI. Amy Keating, who previously served as the company’s chief legal officer, rejoined as chief business officer on January 12, 2026. Her appointment underscores Mozilla’s shift toward a ‘double bottom line’ model, balancing mission-driven goals with commercial viability in a tech sector dominated by closed AI systems.

In her new role, Ms. Keating will oversee strategy across Mozilla’s products, investments, grants, and ventures, focusing on investments that advance an open internet. ‘Mozilla’s mission has never been more urgent — but mission alone isn’t enough,’ Mozilla Foundation President Mark Surman said in the announcement. He praised her ability to ‘align values with viable, ambitious business strategy’ to ensure scalability in AI and web initiatives.

Mozilla’s High-Wire AI Pivot

This move arrives as Mozilla rewires its structure to counter Big Tech’s AI dominance. The organization recently outlined a portfolio strategy emphasizing open alternatives, including tools like any-llm through Mozilla.ai. Ms. Keating’s mandate includes supporting mission-aligned companies via Mozilla Ventures and nonprofits, while identifying new opportunities to challenge concentrated AI power.

Ms. Keating, who holds a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, brings two decades of tech experience. She first joined Mozilla in 2021 as general counsel, overseeing legal, policy, and security amid fights like the net neutrality case Mozilla v. FCC. She later served on the boards of Mozilla Ventures and the Mozilla Foundation, as noted in a 2023 blog post.

Her tenure ended in 2021 when she departed for Planet Labs PBC as chief legal officer, helping steer the satellite imaging firm through its NYSE debut as a public benefit corporation. ‘At Planet, she played a key role in bringing Planet to the NYSE,’ the Mozilla Foundation post detailed, highlighting her governance work for mission-focused growth.

From Big Tech Trenches to Mission Scale

Before Planet, Ms. Keating spent nearly a decade at Google and Twitter, rising to vice president of legal and deputy general counsel at Twitter, where she built litigation functions and handled global matters across 20 countries, per her profile on The Org. At Google, she contributed to the legal team early in her career, following stints as an associate at Bingham McCutchen LLP.

Most recently, she held senior roles at Glean, an AI-powered enterprise search firm, as chief administrative and legal officer, managing compliance, governance, IT, HR, and more, according to Equilar ExecAtlas. This blend of legal acumen and operational leadership positions her to drive Mozilla’s economic counterweight to AI giants.

‘I’m excited to return at a moment when the organization is bringing its mission and its assets together in new ways,’ Ms. Keating stated in the announcement. She vowed to ‘move with speed and clarity, and to think and act at the scale of our potential across the Mozilla Project.’

Double Bottom Line Imperative

Mozilla’s strategy, detailed in a November 2025 blog post titled ‘Rewiring Mozilla,’ explicitly adopts a double bottom line: measuring success by mission impact and revenue. All portfolio entities must align strategies accordingly over the next three years. This comes amid revenue pressures, including past reliance on Google search deals now under antitrust scrutiny.

The leadership shakeup pairs Ms. Keating with new chief technology officer Raffi Krikorian, announced concurrently, signaling a tech-business tandem for AI pursuits. Mozilla’s executive council includes CEO Anthony Enzor-DeMeo for Mozilla Corp. and President Mark Surman, per the official leadership page.

Industry observers see her return as pragmatic. ‘Financially, Mozilla is bolstering its efforts… signals a focus on business and investment strategies,’ WebProNews reported post-announcement, tying it to open AI tools and Firefox integrations.

Proven Mission-Commerce Fusion

Ms. Keating’s track record exemplifies Mozilla’s needs. At Planet Labs, she built systems reflecting the firm’s ethos of using space data for earthly benefit, as she recounted in a 2023 personal blog. Her Twitter role expanded to product counseling, privacy, and regulatory affairs during rapid scaling.

Earlier, as Mozilla’s CLO, she voiced antitrust concerns: ‘Small and independent companies such as Mozilla thrive by innovating… in areas like search,’ she wrote in a 2020 post cited by VentureBeat. This experience aligns with current battles over search defaults and AI openness.

On X, Mozilla’s official account amplified the news: ‘Amy will lead business, investment, and portfolio strategy… to help build strong, open alternatives in AI and the web,’ in a January 12 post garnering quick engagement.

Broader Mozilla Reshuffle

The appointment fits a leadership refresh. Recent additions include Enzor-DeMeo as CEO, with fintech and product chops from Roofstock and Wayfair. CFO Eric Muhlheim, ex-BuzzFeed, drives financial ops. CLO Carlos Torres, former Salesforce counsel, replaced Ms. Keating post her 2021 exit, per The Global Legal Post.

Mozilla Ventures, where Ms. Keating served on the board, eyes AI startups under Managing Partner Mohamed Nanabhay. The foundation’s board features heavyweights like Nicole Wong, ex-White House deputy CTO. This ecosystem positions Ms. Keating to orchestrate cross-org synergies.

Challenges loom: Firefox market share hovers below 3%, per recent metrics, while AI demands massive capital. Yet Ms. Keating’s playbook—openness fused with growth—could fortify Mozilla’s niche as a trustworthy alternative builder.

Staking Claims in Open AI

Ms. Keating steps in as Mozilla.ai pushes self-hosting models, echoing browser-era fights against walled gardens. ‘The economics are changing… self-hosting is starting to look like sound business,’ a January 2026 blog noted, citing Pinterest savings from open AI migration.

Her role demands navigating investments amid regulatory flux, from EU AI Act to U.S. probes. With prior policy advocacy on Section 230 and competition, she is primed. X reactions were muted but positive, with Spanish outlet Agente Geek hailing her for ‘IA abierta y sostenible.’

For industry insiders, Ms. Keating’s return signals Mozilla doubling down on viability without diluting ethos—a tightrope walk in AI’s gold rush.