The tech world is watching closely as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Google battle over the future of the internet giant’s search dominance. Following a landmark ruling that found Google illegally maintained a monopoly in online search, the focus has shifted to potential remedies, and one proposal has sent ripples through the industry: forcing Google to sell its ubiquitous Chrome browser.

The Antitrust Verdict and Proposed Fixes

In August 2024, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta delivered a significant blow to Google, ruling that the company had indeed acted unlawfully to protect its monopoly in the general search market. A key finding centered on Google’s multi-billion dollar agreements with companies like Apple, Mozilla, and various Android device manufacturers to ensure Google Search was the default option, effectively boxing out competitors (CBS News, TechPolicy.Press).

Now, in the ongoing remedy phase of the trial (as of April 2025), the DOJ is arguing for significant structural changes to restore competition. Their most drastic proposal? Requiring Google to divest Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser with billions of users (Mashable). The DOJ contends that Chrome serves as a critical “entry point” for searches (accounting for roughly 35% according to some reports) and that selling it is necessary to level the playing field (CBS News, MLQ.ai). Other proposed remedies include banning Google from paying for default search engine placement and requiring the company to share certain user data with rivals to foster competition.

Potential Suitors Emerge

The possibility of Chrome hitting the market, however remote, has prompted several companies to express interest during court testimony. Executives from legacy search player Yahoo, and newer AI-focused companies OpenAI and Perplexity, have all indicated they would consider purchasing Chrome if Google were forced to sell (Courthouse News Service, India Today).

Yahoo Search’s General Manager, Brian Provost, testified that acquiring Chrome would significantly boost their market share and accelerate their own browser development plans (Tech Times). OpenAI’s Head of Product for ChatGPT, Nick Turley, suggested acquiring Chrome could help “onramp” users towards AI assistants (Courthouse News Service). Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, stated his belief that Perplexity could operate Chrome effectively without diminishing quality or charging users, despite initial reluctance to testify fearing retribution from Google (The Verge via Reddit).

An Independent Future for Chrome?

While the prospect of established companies like Yahoo or disruptive forces like OpenAI taking over Chrome is intriguing, it raises concerns about simply swapping one dominant player’s control for another. Google, naturally, opposes the divestiture, arguing it would harm users, innovation, and potentially jeopardize the open-source Chromium project that underpins Chrome and many other browsers (Google Blog).

There’s a strong argument to be made that the ideal outcome wouldn’t involve another tech giant acquiring Chrome. Instead, perhaps a company like Perplexity, which is challenging the traditional search paradigm, could be a suitable steward. Even better, envisioning Chrome transitioning to an independent entity, perhaps governed similarly to the non-profit Mozilla Foundation (which oversees Firefox) or maintained purely as an open-source project like Chromium itself, feels like the most pro-competitive and pro-user path. This would prevent the browser – a critical piece of internet infrastructure, especially vital in the Android ecosystem you’re passionate about, Michael – from becoming a tool solely to funnel users into a specific ecosystem, whether it’s Google’s, Microsoft’s, OpenAI’s, or Yahoo’s. An independent Chrome could focus purely on being the best possible browser, fostering true competition and innovation across the web.

The remedy hearings are expected to conclude in the coming weeks, with Judge Mehta likely issuing a decision by late summer 2025. However, Google is expected to appeal any adverse ruling, meaning the final fate of Chrome and the resolution of this antitrust saga could still be years away (PBS NewsHour). Until then, the tech industry, developers, and billions of users worldwide will be watching with anticipation.