San Francisco, California, United States, September 29, 2025 – Mozilla has announced the appointment of Raffi Krikorian as its first-ever portfolio-wide Chief Technology Officer (CTO). A seasoned technologist, innovator, and community builder, Krikorian will lead Mozilla’s efforts to develop trustworthy and open-source AI at a pivotal time for the organization and the wider technology ecosystem.
Reporting directly to Mark Surman, President of Mozilla, Krikorian will be part of the leadership team coordinating efforts across Mozilla’s family of organizations. He will work alongside technical leaders including Anthony Enzor-DeMeo (GM, Firefox), Bobby Holley (CTO, Firefox), and Ryan Sipes (Thunderbird).
As AI development increasingly becomes concentrated among a few companies, Mozilla views Krikorian’s appointment as an urgent step toward building an alternative future—one grounded in trust, openness, and user agency. Krikorian will play a critical role in ensuring Mozilla continues to invent and build technology that aligns with its values.
“We need to make sure AI and the internet belong to all of us, not just a few big companies,” said Mark Surman, President of Mozilla. “Raffi is the right person to lead that charge – creative, innovative and passionate about responsible technology. He puts wind in our sails, accelerating Mozilla’s mission of building technology based on the values in our Manifesto.”
Krikorian brings a distinguished track record of impact across technology, politics, media, and philanthropy. He most recently served as CTO at Emerson Collective, where he led efforts to integrate technology into education, environment, immigration, and economic mobility initiatives. He also hosted the Technically Optimistic podcast and Substack, exploring how technology shapes society.
Previously, Krikorian was the first CTO of the Democratic National Committee, applying data, technology, and digital security to election processes; Director at Uber’s Advanced Technologies Center, where he launched the first passenger-carrying self-driving car fleet; and Vice President of Platform Engineering at Twitter, overseeing global infrastructure.
In addition to his professional experience, Krikorian has longstanding ties with Mozilla, having served on the Mozilla Foundation Board of Directors since 2023, the Mozilla.ai Board since 2024, and the Mozilla.org Board since its inception.
“We don’t just need critiques on how AI is being built – we need real, working alternatives,” said Raffi Krikorian. “Mozilla is one of the few places that can actually do that. It’s built for this moment. I’m excited to join the team and help shape technology that reflects values we care about — transparency, openness, participation, and trust.”
About Mozilla
Mozilla is a global nonprofit-backed technology company dedicated to ensuring the internet remains a public resource, open and accessible to all. Known for products such as Firefox, Mozilla advocates for a more open, equitable digital future. Over the past 25 years, it has pioneered responsible technology development and stakeholder capitalism. Its next quarter century will focus on building ethical tech products, fostering community growth, and advancing openness in the AI era.
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