Why Do Companies Like Openai, Perplexity And Yahoo Want To Buy Google Chrome?

Google’s Chrome browser could yet beryllium up for grabs and awesome tech players are already lining up. At nan ongoing remedies proceedings for nan US Department of Justice’s landmark antitrust lawsuit against Google, grounds revealed that companies including OpenAI, Perplexity, and Yahoo person expressed liking successful buying Chrome if nan tribunal forces a sale.

While immoderate imaginable waste is acold from imminent, pinch nan proceedings ongoing and Google expected to appeal, nan imaginable of Chrome being pried from Google’s hands is now being earnestly discussed successful courtrooms and boardrooms alike.

The reasons for this high-profile liking are obvious: Chrome dominates world browser usage pinch an estimated two-thirds marketplace share. Owning Chrome would springiness immoderate institution a monolithic platform, not conscionable to steer users toward its ain hunt engine, but to aboveground a wide scope of products and services straight to billions of people.

Nick Turley, caput of merchandise astatine OpenAI, testified that OpenAI would beryllium willing successful acquiring Chrome. OpenAI, which has already integrated web hunt capabilities into ChatGPT, sees a browser for illustration Chrome arsenic a earthy hold of its increasing ecosystem. “It makes sense,” Turley said, highlighting nan strategical fit.

Perplexity, different AI-powered hunt company, besides confirmed its interest. Its main business serviceman testified that controlling Chrome would thief nan institution accelerate nan take of its AI hunt tools, while giving it unprecedented entree to personification information and engagement. Perplexity is presently building its ain browser but sees acquiring Chrome arsenic a overmuch faster way to scale.

Yahoo, too, is weighing its options. Brian Provost, wide head of Yahoo Search, revealed astatine nan proceedings that nan institution is prototyping a browser internally but noted that buying Chrome outright, contempt its imaginable $50 cardinal value tag, could beryllium feasible pinch financial backing from its owner, Apollo Global Management.

Despite nan looming complexity of a sale, including prolonged appeals and regulatory hurdles, nan imaginable prize is enticing. Chrome would manus a caller proprietor instant entree to 1 of nan largest integer audiences successful nan world, fundamentally reshaping nan equilibrium of powerfulness successful tech astatine a clip erstwhile Google is nether unprecedented pressure.

If nan DOJ’s lawsuit succeeds and Chrome is spun off, nan ripple effects crossed search, advertising, and AI could redefine nan tech industry’s competitory landscape.

Published on: Apr 28, 2025 1:57 PM IST