Yahoo has indicated that it intends to bid for the Google Chrome web browser should a federal court order the tech giant to divest the asset as a remedy for its alleged illegal search monopoly. Brian Provost, the General Manager for Yahoo Search, testified on Thursday (April 24) during the ongoing remedies phase of the justice department's antitrust trial against Google in Washington. Provost stated that Yahoo estimates the value of Chrome to be in the tens of billions of dollars.
“Chrome is arguably the most important strategic player on the web. We would be able to pursue it with Apollo [Global Management Inc.],” Provost asserted, as per Bloomberg.
Provost's testimony is part of a three-week hearing before judge Amit Mehta, who ruled last year that Alphabet’s Google illegally monopolised the internet search market. The court is currently considering a range of proposed changes put forth by antitrust enforcers to address this unlawful conduct.
Yahoo, a dominant search engine in the early 2000s before being overtaken by Google, has undergone several ownership changes, with Apollo acquiring it from Verizon Communications in 2021.
Since the acquisition by Apollo, Yahoo has been actively working to “revitalize” its search engine and has commenced the development of its own browser, according to Provost. He further stated that the company became interested in acquiring Chrome immediately after the Justice Department's divestiture proposal became public.
OpenAI also wants to buy Chrome
However, Yahoo is likely to face competition in any potential bid for Chrome. Nick Turley, the head of OpenAI's ChatGPT, testified on Tuesday that his company would also be interested in purchasing Google's browser, echoing the strategic importance of Chrome in the current digital landscape.
“Yes, we would, as would many other parties,” Turley said in response to a question about OpenAI's potential interest earlier this week.
“Chrome is arguably the most important strategic player on the web. We would be able to pursue it with Apollo [Global Management Inc.],” Provost asserted, as per Bloomberg.
Provost's testimony is part of a three-week hearing before judge Amit Mehta, who ruled last year that Alphabet’s Google illegally monopolised the internet search market. The court is currently considering a range of proposed changes put forth by antitrust enforcers to address this unlawful conduct.
Yahoo, a dominant search engine in the early 2000s before being overtaken by Google, has undergone several ownership changes, with Apollo acquiring it from Verizon Communications in 2021.
Since the acquisition by Apollo, Yahoo has been actively working to “revitalize” its search engine and has commenced the development of its own browser, according to Provost. He further stated that the company became interested in acquiring Chrome immediately after the Justice Department's divestiture proposal became public.
OpenAI also wants to buy Chrome
However, Yahoo is likely to face competition in any potential bid for Chrome. Nick Turley, the head of OpenAI's ChatGPT, testified on Tuesday that his company would also be interested in purchasing Google's browser, echoing the strategic importance of Chrome in the current digital landscape.
“Yes, we would, as would many other parties,” Turley said in response to a question about OpenAI's potential interest earlier this week.
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