The Leadership Letter

Real correspondence from the people running real companies — and what it reveals about leadership.

When to Pick the Risky Partner Over the Safe One

Sometimes the best deal isn't the biggest check — it's the one that buys you back your independence.

Why Google: Users prefer Google; global search performance is the best; dominant brand; familiar experience to users. Mission Alignment: Offer strongest revenue share to date with Google; three-year term; modeling shows all three years over [redacted] mm. Why not Google: Does not promote competition for search; supports the continued dominance of Google; dependency on Google; no revenue guarantee; need product and business focus to succeed; revenue share could drop below projections; no opportunity to grow share; Mozilla must change to focus on search volume/performance; no guarantee. Why Yahoo!: Opportunity to innovate features and services that are customized for Firefox users. Mission Alignment: An agent for change; independence from Google; opportunity to level the playing field in search. Financial Security: High guarantee; 5-year term; diversifies sustainability projects; projected growth of market share. Why not Yahoo!: Search product not currently preferred; low international presence/relevance; users may not be familiar with search experience. Mission Alignment: If unsuccessful, threatens success of both Yahoo! and Mozilla. Financial Stability: Deal may result in business misalignment; limited fallback options. Downside Risks: Contingent on Mozilla's capability to partner deeply; Google may become more aggressive in targeting Mozilla.

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Court Exhibit
United States v. Google LLC (Search)
1:20-cv-03010 (DCD), Trial Ex. UPX0315 — DOJ public archive
November 4, 2014
Public domain
View the primary source →