Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos might be the among the most recognised faces in tech, but they're not the ones creating real change and innovation. That's the argument of an attention-grabbing wheatpaste ad campaign that took over intersections in New York City during climate Week NYC.

The Mozilla Foundation is comparing the dubious achievements of the Tesla and Meta's CEOs and Amazon's executive chairman with those of lesser-known tech creators: ones who are building tools and solutions that benefit real people. The message is that the future isn't inevitable, and it doesn't have to be shaped only by megalomaniac billionaires.

The Mozilla Foundation is the nonprofit body that owns the Mozilla Organization, which runs the open-source web browser of the same name. It was founded back in 2003 with a mission to work to keep the internet open and accessible as a global public resource that benefits humanity rather than corporate profit.

The posters that popped up in New York promote its fellowship programme. They lead by casting doubt on the merits of Bezos's space tourism, Musk's destruction of Twitter and Zuckerberg's 'pervert glasses'. They then compare these endeavours with the work of Mozilla Fellows like Rose Njeri Tunguru, who's building infrastructure to help Kenyans independently verify election results, and Rudy Fraser, creator of the decentralised social network framework Blacksky.

"A rocket that lets celebrities cosplay as astronauts. Glasses that literally spy on everyone. A 'public square' that’s moderated by a wannabe king. And the incentives behind them are as boring as the lack of imagination," The Mozilla Foundation says.

"No billionaire gets to decide the future for everyone else. We all do. That means communities worldwide can build for themselves: with local AI that exposes police violence across Brazil, an open standard that lets communities decide how their online spaces are run, and a tool that makes sure every Kenyan vote counts. And many more."

The wheatpaste format creates the feel of a grassroots campaign, which grabs attention by leaning into a growing disdain for tech billionaires. The copy's clever juxtaposition of headline-grabbing vanity projects with genuinely beneficial tech developments from more everyday creators and founders, helps raise awareness of projects many people will never have heard of, which in turn promotes the importance of the Mozilla Foundation's support.

You can learn more about the organisation's work and the fellowship programme at the Mozilla Foundation website.

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.