Search Party: Everyone Wants To Buy Chrome

Google has not yet been ordered to divorce itself from Chrome as a possible punishment for being found guilty of operating an illegal search monopoly, but that hasn’t stopped OpenAI, Perplexity, and Yahoo from expressing interest this week in sweeping the web browser with 3.5 billion users off its feet.

A federal judge presiding over the trial—which began Monday to determine Chrome’s fate—isn’t expected to rule until August or September. And even then, he may not require Google to sell off Chrome as the government is requesting, which would make this preemptive tech thirst for nothing.

Any potential marriage could involve taking on debt, as Chrome has been speculated to be worth between $20 billion and $100 billion, and...

• OpenAI is valued at $300 billion, but has yet to turn a profit.
• Perplexity’s latest valuation is under $10 billion.
• Yahoo, a former search engine powerhouse best known today as the place to host a fantasy football league, was most recently purchased for $5 billion.

Still, if the suitors can figure out their financials, Chrome would allow any buyer to expand its influence on the internet.

The DOJ also wants to prohibit Google from paying smartphone companies to make Google searches the default on devices. If the search engine market doesn’t become competitive within five years after these changes, the government could force Google to sell Android.—DL