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Update: A few of you have asked how to make a contribution to Thunderbird under the new corporation, especially when using the monthly option.
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More information about the future direction of Thunderbird will be shared in the coming months.
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Ultimately, this move to MZLA Technologies Corporation allows the Thunderbird project to hire more easily, act more swiftly, and pursue ideas that were previously not possible. The Thunderbird Council continues to steward the project, and the team guiding Thunderbird’s development remains the same. We remain committed to creating amazing, open source technology focused on open standards, user privacy, and productive communication. Thunderbird’s focus isn’t going to change. The move will allow the project to collect revenue through partnerships and non-charitable donations, which in turn can be used to cover the costs of new products and services. Moving to MZLA Technologies Corporation will not only allow the Thunderbird project more flexibility and agility, but will also allow us to explore offering our users products and services that were not possible under the Mozilla Foundation. Now, to ensure future operational success, following months of planning, we are forging a new path forward. But in recent years donations from Thunderbird users have allowed the project to grow and flourish organically within the Mozilla Foundation. There was a time when Thunderbird’s future was uncertain, and it was unclear what was going to happen to the project after it was decided Mozilla Corporation would no longer support it. This will not impact Thunderbird’s day-to-day activities or mission: Thunderbird will still remain free and open source, with the same release schedule and people driving the project. This move has been in the works for a while as Thunderbird has grown in donations, staff, and aspirations. As of today, the Thunderbird project will be operating from a new wholly owned subsidiary of the Mozilla Foundation, MZLA Technologies Corporation.
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