Fakespot
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
Some sections are still being researched1 / 4
Sections to complete：05
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Fakespot was a New York-based startup founded in 2016 that used AI and machine learning to detect fake or unreliable online reviews. Its website, browser extension, and mobile apps analyzed patterns and similarities across reviews on marketplaces like Amazon, Yelp, TripAdvisor, Walmart, and eBay, assigning each product a letter grade from A to F for review authenticity so shoppers could spot artificially inflated ratings. In May 2023, Mozilla acquired Fakespot to bring its shopping tools to Firefox; Mozilla later discontinued the service, shutting down the Fakespot-powered Review Checker in June 2025 and Fakespot itself in July 2025.
02 / Fakespot FAILURE REASONS
Failure factors supported by the current evidence
Mozilla ended Fakespot as part of a product-prioritization decision to concentrate time and investment on Firefox and new browsing solutions.
Its owner redirected resources toward Firefox and other browsing products, ending Fakespot as a standalone service.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Acquisition
Mozilla acquired Fakespot.
- Product shutdown
Fakespot's extensions, mobile applications and website shut down on 1 July 2025.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN / AFTERMATH
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.