The U.S. federal antitrust trial is heating up, and at the center of the storm is one of the most widely used digital tools in the world ā Google Chrome. According to Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of rival search engine DuckDuckGo, Chrome could be worth up to $50 billion if a court forces Google to sell it. š„
š¹ The trial: The U.S. Department of Justice, along with a coalition of states, argues that Google holds an illegal monopoly over online search, and the most radical ā yet most effective ā solution could be to separate Chrome from the rest of the company.
š¹ Potential buyers are already interested: AI-driven companies like OpenAI and Perplexity have already expressed interest in acquiring Chrome if it hits the market. OpenAI, for example, currently uses Microsoftās Bing to fetch search results for its chatbot ChatGPT.
š¹ Weinbergās estimate: During the hearing, DuckDuckGoās CEO estimated Chromeās value based on its massive user base and global reach. While calling it a āback-of-the-envelopeā estimate, he suggested the browser could fetch as much as $50 billion ā far exceeding a previous valuation of $20 billion by Bloomberg analyst Mandeep Singh.
š¹ Google pushes back: Alphabet, Googleās parent company, is not voluntarily offering Chrome for sale and plans to appeal any ruling that finds it guilty of maintaining a monopoly.
š¹ AI as the new weapon in the search war: U.S. prosecutors argue that Googleās dominance in search also gives it an unfair advantage in artificial intelligence, allowing it to steer users back toward its main advertising business. Tools like Google Gemini could further entrench this dominance.
š¹ Tensions with OpenAI: Court documents revealed that Google rejected OpenAIās request for access to its search API. According to emails presented during the hearing, Google declined the request in August, citing concerns that the deal would āinvolve too many competitors.ā OpenAI responded that access to the API would help it ādeliver a better productā to users.
What Happens Next?
Judge Amit Mehta is currently weighing possible remedies ā from minor product adjustments to the drastic step of forcing Chromeās sale. His decision, expected later this year, could determine whether one of the worldās most popular internet gateways stays under Googleās roof or finds a new owner. š
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