Yahoo Inc. plans bid for Chrome if Google divestiture ordered

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: Internet Company Yahoo Inc. – backed by owner Apollo Global Management Inc. – would bid for the Chrome web browser if a federal court orders Google to divest it as a remedy for maintain an illegal monopoly.

Brian Provost, the general manager for Yahoo Search, testified Thursday during Google’s trial in Washington that his company estimates the browser would have a sale price in the tens of billions of dollars.

Chrome I “arguably the most important strategic player on the web,” Provost said. “We would be able to pursue it with Apollo.”

Provost testified as part of a three-week hearing in the Justice Department’s case against Alphabet Inc.’s to determine how to remedy the company’s monopoly in internet search. Judge Amit Mehta rules last year Google illegally monopolised the market and is contemplating a package of changes proposed by antitrust enforcers.

OpenAI eyes Chrome acquisition as Google faces antitrust challenges

The Justice Department and a group of US states have argued that Google should be forced to sell off its popular Chrome browser.

Yahoo was the leading search engine in the early 2000s before losing that position to Google. The company has changed hands several times; Apollo purchased it in 2021 from Verizon Communications Inc.

Since the Apollo takeover, Yahoo has been seeking to ‘revilalise’ its search engine, and started building its on browser that remains in development, Provost said. The company has also considered buying a browser and became interested in purchasing Chrome as soon as the Justice Department’s proposal became public, he said.

Yahoo would likely have competition. OpenAI also would be interested in buying Chrome browser, the head of ChatGPT said during the trial Tuesday.

“Yes, we would, as would many other parties,” Nick Turley, OpenAI’s ChatGPT chief, said in response to a question about whether the company would seek to buy Google’s browser.