Google's relationship with Firefox-developer Mozilla has been going through some complicated changes since Google's Chrome hit the scene, according to an interview with Mozilla's CEO. The partnership between the companies always seemed like an obvious one: the non-Microsofts teaming up against the Redmond giant as each launched products and services competing with existing Microsoft fare. While Google had the search game neatly wrapped up, its web-based applications, like Gmail and Google Docs, were making new advances against Microsoft's established Hotmail and Office, and needed a web browser in order to give users access.

As the leading non-Microsoft browser, Firefox seemed like a perfect fit. Mozilla integrated Google search into its browser and Google added Firefox to its Google Pack software bundle. With Chrome out of beta now, Google's replaced Firefox in the Pack with its own browser. While that's not going to make a huge difference in Firefox downloads, it signals a clear change in the company's mentality, that Firefox is no longer the Google browser of choice.

What makes the situation so complicated is that Google is Mozilla's primary source of income. The company brought in about sixty million dollars in ad revenue from Google last year, which pays Mozilla for its prominent spot in Firefox. So now, Mozilla must compete with Google for browser market share, while still reliant on its ad money to stay in business. There's no indication yet that Google plans to alter the terms of its deal with Mozilla, but these latest developments in the browser wars certainly are going to make things a little more strained between the two companies.

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