Chrome Covet
No fewer than three companies: Yahoo (yes, you read that right), OpenAI, and Perplexity have each been reported by The Verge as being interested in acquiring Google Chrome should the need to sell become reality.
The interest from these three in acquiring Chrome represents quite the convergence of business strategy and the result of the DOJ antitrust remedy. All three companies recognize Chrome’s immense value as a distribution channel and see its acquisition as a potential shortcut to challenging Google’s search dominance.
But each company has its own unique motivations too:
Yahoo is focused on boosting its search engine’s market share and sees Chrome as a means to that end.
OpenAI is interested in enhancing its AI models’ capabilities through better access to search data, viewing Chrome as a tool to diversify data sources (outside of Bing).
Perplexity aims to overcome distribution challenges posed by Google’s existing agreements and is cautious about the broader implications of such an acquisition.
For its part, Google has strongly opposed the potential divestiture, arguing that it would be disruptive and damage the browser’s functionality, while also maintaining plans to appeal the decision.
Sources: lnkd.in/eS4HC3QC
