Yahoo Might Buy Chrome

At first glance, the idea of Yahoo acquiring Chrome might sound absurd to you, even laughable. After all, Chrome is a precious jewel for Google it’s the world’s most dominant search engine, while Yahoo is from the past, when the internet was in its early days, now struggling to even be in double digits. It’s like imagining Blackberry buying iPhone. But a recent development In a high-profile antitrust trial, this scenario is suggested however, it is just a suggestion given by the court.

Let’s take a look at what is happening:

Google is facing a heavy lawsuit from the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The issue of the case? Google has been accused of monopolising the online search market and creating unfair competition. The DOJ argues that Google deals, such as being the default browser search engine on Android phones, Apple Safari browser and, most crucially, on its own Chrome browser, have made it impossible for the market to gain share.

According to the DOJ, these unfair practices give Google massive influence over how billions of people have access to information online, amounting to an unfair monopoly.

And it’s not just about the search anymore; the courtroom touches on the bigger ecosystem that fuels Google dominance, including Chrome, which many believe is the key for Google to be so strong.

Chrome: More than just a browser:

Over 66.6% of people around the world use Chrome as their default browser, and it is not just an access point; it’s a whole ecosystem, like a funnel or a high-value pipeline that is made of gold that connects users to other Google resources like Gmail, YouTube, Google Search and other dozens of services.

Let’s do some quick math. With over 5.69 billion internet users around the globe (as of 2024), alone Chrome makes 3.69 billion people every day. That kind of reach is unmatched in the digital world.

The second most used browser in the world is Apple Safari, which holds around 22.81% market share, primarily due to being the default browser on the iPhones and Macs, while others like Firefox, Edge, Opera and many others barely make a share.

So, when the courtroom conversation turned towards the possibility of selling Chrome from Google forcefully, it caught everyone's attention. And even more surprising? Yahoo publicly expresses interest in buying Chrome when it is going for sale.

Yahoo Surprise Move:

During a key movement in a trial, Brian Provost, the head of Yahoo search operations, made headlines by openly stating that Yahoo would be interested in buying Chrome when Google made it available for sale.

The revelation shocked many. While Yahoo has been working on its own search engine since last year to make a strong comeback in the market, this move is nothing short of seismic. Provost admits that by acquiring Chrome, their share of the market increases from 3% to double digits, practically overnight; it’s a bold version and simply a shortcut.

Instead of slowly building an infrastructure, partnerships and a user base over a decade, buying Chrome would give Yahoo a direct line to billions of users and a serious stake in browser wars.

But Can Yahoo Afford Chrome?

One of the first questions that comes up in a mind is whether Yahoo has the financial power to pull off this deal; surprisingly, the answer is YES.

While Yahoo is not a giant company anymore, its parent company, Apollo Management Services, is one of the largest investment firms in the world; they have shown interest in reviving and transforming legacy tech boards.

Experts say that Chrome could be worth around 8 to 10 billion dollars, depending on how its value is calculated (whether by revenue, strategic value, or market dominance). For Apollo, this is in the range of their possibility.

In fact, acquiring Chrome would be seen as a long-term investment in reshaping the future of search, especially as AI-driven models threaten to change everything.

What this means for Google and everyone:

Even though the court has not yet ordered Google to sell Chrome, the very idea that companies are lining up to bid and showing interest in buying Chrome shows how powerful this search engine is.

For years Google has been living in its own full-stack ecosystem, from the operating system (Android) to the browser (Chrome), the search engine (Google Search), and the ad platform (AdWords). These integrations make Google powerful and efficient but also raise questions and competition and users choices.

If Chrome works as a separate company or is sold to a competitor like Yahoo, the balance of power should shift dramatically, as Yahoo could replace itself as a search engine default by making its own ad platform. It could build an entirely new ecosystem within Chrome that doesn’t rely on Google.

In other words, breaking up Chrome without Google would crack up the internet we could never imagine and haven’t seen in decades.

Will it happen?

It’s just a suggestion given in the court for now. In the early 2000s Microsoft faced similar antitrust action over bundling Internet Explorer on Windows. While they haven’t been forced to split the company, the case did lead to years of regulation and scrutiny and eventually the rise of Google itself. The problem with history is it repeats itself.

Google has been fighting hard to not split Chrome or any forced divestment. They argue that Chrome improves user experience and isn’t inherently anticompetitive, and they are not wrong. Chrome is fast, secure, and user-friendly. But the issue here isn’t about quality; it’s about the dominance and choice.

The bigger picture:

Whether or not Google has to sell Chrome, one thing is clear: browsers more than ever are the gate that we can access and take information from. Owning a browser means owning a digital gate to everyone else, be it search, social, e-commerce, entertainment, media and more.

Yahoo sees this; so do everyone from investors, Microsoft, OpenAI and many other companies that know the power of browsers will definitely get this opportunity whenever Chrome is available for sale.

If Google has to split Chrome, then we will be witnessing one of the most significant tech acquisitions in history. It’s too early to call this a reality, but in the future we may witness this.