Yahoo wants to buy Chrome.

Many companies have expressed interest in the world's most popular web browser as it faces legal action. Photo: Techweez .

Yahoo is developing a prototype of a new web browser and has stated its willingness to acquire Chrome if a court forces Google to sell the browser to resolve its search market monopoly.

This information emerged on the fourth day of the trial regarding Google's antitrust remedies. One of the US Department of Justice 's proposals is to require Google to separate Chrome from its parent company. The agency argues that Chrome is a key distribution channel for Google's search engine and has accumulated too much power, making it difficult for competitors to compete, The Verge reported.

Yahoo isn't the only company expressing interest in acquiring Chrome. The CEO of DuckDuckGo admitted they lacked the financial resources to do so. Witnesses from Perplexity and OpenAI also voiced their interest in the world's most popular browser during court appearances.

Yahoo viewed owning a web browser as a strategic gateway to the search market. Yahoo Search CEO Brian Provost testified in court that approximately 60% of current search queries are made through browsers, with many people searching directly from the address bar.

Therefore, he stated that Yahoo had begun “actively developing a browser prototype internally” since last summer to understand what was needed to bring the product to market. He also revealed that Yahoo is “in ongoing negotiations” with several companies to acquire an existing browser. He declined to disclose the identities of the potential partners.

According to Provost's estimates, perfecting a prototype of their own browser would take approximately 6-9 months. However, if acquired, Chrome would accelerate Yahoo's rise. Provost calls Chrome "the most important strategic player on the web today" and estimates that Yahoo's search market share could increase from its current 3% to double digits if they acquired it.

While acknowledging the potential price tag could reach tens of billions of dollars, he expressed confidence that Yahoo would be able to raise the necessary capital with the backing of its parent company, Apollo Global Management. Apollo owns the NetScape browser brand, which was previously the focus of another antitrust lawsuit. However, Provost asserted that it is not an actively operating browser in the market today.

Meanwhile, another competitor poised to jump into this lucrative market is Perplexity. This company, less than three years old, is seeking to establish itself in the AI-powered search field.

Perplexity's Chief Business Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, testified in court that he initially did not want to participate in the Google antitrust hearing for fear of retaliation. However, after being subpoenaed, he seized the opportunity to present a major business opportunity: acquiring Chrome.

If the judge agrees with the Justice Department's position, Google could be forced to separate Chrome from its parent company, which includes Chromium. This is the open-source browser that many other browsers rely on to build their products.

Google warned that imposing this solution was "playing with fire," because the new owner could charge for usage or lack the capacity to maintain product quality, thereby causing a ripple effect on the entire browser industry.

But Perplexity believes they can handle that role. When asked if any company other than Google could operate Chrome on a large scale without compromising quality or charging users, Shevelenko replied, "I think we can."

This isn't the first time Perplexity has put itself on the list of companies looking to acquire major tech platforms facing trouble with the US government. The company has also previously expressed interest in acquiring TikTok, a video app threatened with a ban in the US due to national security concerns stemming from its ties to ByteDance, its parent company based in China.

Source: https://znews.vn/yahoo-muon-mua-chrome-post1548729.html