Canonical Ltd.[4] is a privately held computer software company based in London, England. It was founded and funded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu and related projects. Canonical employs staff in more than 70 countries and maintains offices in London, Austin, Boston, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Tokyo and the Isle of Man.[5][6]
 | |
| Company type | Private company limited by shares[1] |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | 5 March 2004; 20 years ago (2004-03-05) |
| Founder | Mark Shuttleworth |
| Headquarters | London, England, UK |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products |
|
| Services | Landscape, Ubuntu Advantage |
| Revenue |  US$141 million (2020)[2]: 13 |
| US$5.3 million (2020)[2]: 13 | |
| US$4.4 million (2020)[2]: 13 | |
| Total assets |  US$82 million (2020)[2]: 14 |
| Total equity | US$−53 million (2020)[2]: 14 |
Number of employees | >1000 (2023)[2]: 3 |
| Subsidiaries | Canonical Group Ltd Canonical USA Inc. Canonical China Ltd (Chinese: 科能（上海）软件科技有限公司) Canonical Brasil Ltda Canonical Canada Ltd Canonical Ltd Taiwan Br. (Chinese: 英屬曼島商肯諾有限公司臺灣分公司) |
| Website | www |
| Footnotes / references Formerly "M R S Virtual Development Ltd"[3] | |
Canonical Ltd. has created and continues to back several projects. Principally these are free and open-source software (FOSS) or tools designed to improve collaboration between free software developers and contributors. Some projects require a Contributor License Agreement to be signed.
In 2007, Canonical launched an International online shop selling support services and Ubuntu-branded goods; later in 2008 it expanded that with a United States-specific shop designed to reduce shipment times.[19] At the same time, the word Ubuntu was trademarked in connection with clothing and accessories.[20]
In a Guardian interview in May 2008, Shuttleworth said that Canonical's business model was service provision and that Canonical was not yet close to profitability. Canonical stated that it would wait three to five years to become profitable. Shuttleworth regarded Canonical as positioning itself as demand for services related to free software rose. This strategy has been compared to Red Hat's business strategies in the 1990s.[21] In an early-2009 New York Times article, Shuttleworth said that Canonical's revenue was "creeping" towards US$30 million, the company's break-even point.[22]
Canonical achieved a small operating profit of $281,000 in 2009, but until 2017 struggled to maintain financial solvency and took a major financial hit from the development of Unity and Ubuntu Touch, leading to an operating loss of $21.6 million for the fiscal year 2013.[23] The company reported an operating profit of $2 million in 2017 after shutting down the Unity development team and laying off nearly 200 employees. The company now plans to focus on its server and professional support solutions,[buzzword] which have proved to be most profitable. Through this, Canonical plans to maintain solvency and achieve long-term profitability.[24][25] In 2022, Ubuntu made a profit of £0.52m on revenues of £14.31m. [26]
Canonical reported a revenue of $175M in 2021. [27]
Canonical has more than 1200 employees.[5] The head office is in London on the 5th Floor of the Blue Fin Building, Southwark Street,[29] having previously moved from the 27th floor of Millbank Tower.[30] In the summer of 2006, Canonical opened an office in Montreal to house its global support and services operation.[21] Taipei 101 is also home to a Canonical office.[31] There was formerly an OEM team in Lexington, Massachusetts, United States.[32]
Notable current employees of Canonical include:
Notable past employees:
[ Previous names: ] M R S VIRTUAL DEVELOPMENT LIMITED [ Name type: ] PREVIOUS
We've come a long way since our launch in 2004. We now have over 800 staff in more than 42 countries, and offices in London, Austin, Boston, Taipei, Montreal, Shanghai, São Paulo and the Isle of Man.
Canonical launched today an U.S.-based on-line shop for Ubuntu-branded merchandise and software. With a new fulfillment house in St. Louis, Missouri, shipments are faster and less expensive for Ubuntu users and enthusiasts in the U.S
Mark text: UBUNTU ... Class 16: Stationery; ... Class 18: Luggage; ... Class 25: Articles of clothing ... CANONICAL LIMITED
We have over 500 staff in more than 30 countries, with offices in London, Boston, Taipei, Montreal, Shanghai, and São Paulo.
