Is Yahoo se to buy Chrome ?

Following OpenAI and Perplexity, Yahoo has expressed interest in acquiring Chrome if Google needs to sell it. It’s a battle for ownership. As Google confronts a search monopoly trial with the US Department of Justice (DoJ) that might compel the company to divest Chrome, various firms are increasingly interested in becoming potential purchasers. Yahoo is the most recent to participate.

A senior executive at Yahoo Inc stated that the firm would make an offer for the Chrome browser if Google is compelled to sell it. As per a Bloomberg report, if Google were to sell the browser, Brian Provost, the general manager of Yahoo Search, thinks it might be worth tens of billions of dollars. Yahoo isn’t the sole company that has expressed interest in acquiring the Chrome browser.

Executives from both OpenAI and Perplexity, who were required to appear during the current trial, showed interest in purchasing Chrome. DuckDuckGo was similarly subpoenaed, but the firm stated it lacks the funds to purchase the Chrome browser. During the trial, Yahoo’s general manager mentioned that approximately 60 percent of search queries originate from web browsers—frequently directly from the address bar.

The company contends that such a change could lead to significant disruption throughout the web browser ecosystem. The US Department of Justice, however, contends that Google’s supremacy in search and oversight of crucial web infrastructure may impact the competitive environment in generative AI. At present, Chrome is not officially available, but Google’s competitors are observing intently — similar to bidders at an auction, anticipating the gavel to strike.