Google has been steeped in legal battles and lawsuits over the past few years, with them losing a number of suits they’re actively trying to appeal. However, it’s entirely possible that Google will be forced to sell off the Chrome browser, and Yahoo is already looking to buy if they can.
Though Yahoo isn’t the dominant force it used to be in the late 90s/early 2000s, they’re still kicking around. Google and Facebook knocked them off the top spot going into the age of smartphones, but Yahoo’s looking to make a comeback.
Brian Provost, Yahoo Search’s general manager, stepped up to testify during a trial that’s being heard to try and find a way to break up Google’s monopoly. They’ve already been ruled a monopoly by official U.S. courts (several times), but the question being raised in this trial is how to start remedying it.
And, according to Provost’s testimony, he and several other buyers are very interested in buying out Chrome in the case that they’re forced to sell off the web browser.
Yahoo willing to pay 11 figures for Google Chrome
In the hearing, Provost estimated that the Chrome web browser would sell for tens of billions of dollars because of how influential it is.
“Chrome is arguably the most important strategic player on the web,” he explained. “We would be able to pursue it with Apollo.”
Apollo Asset Management is the company that owns Yahoo along with several other subsidiaries, making them one of the most valuable asset groups in the world. The sheer scope of what the company owns is worth upwards of $500 billion dollars, with them recording tens of billions of dollars in revenue a year.
As a result, they’re ready to put up the 11 figures (written out, that’s over $10,000,000,000) it’d cost to make the acquisition.
Provost also explained that Yahoo is working on developing their own browser, but they’d happily drop what Yahoo is working on to buy up Chrome if the option was made available to them.
Nick Turley, the chief of ChatGPT, also said OpenAI is interested in making the acquisition. He said they and “many other parties” would be interested in buying the browser in what could be one of the most heated tech acquisitions in history. That is, if Chrome gets put up for sale.
Google is fighting in court for its right to keep the browser, and it’s not likely we’ll see a verdict until later this year. From there, a time would be set on how long Google has to sell if Chrome is found to be monopolizing the market. Nothing is set in stone here yet, but it’s clear that there’s no lack of interest from buyers.
Content shared from www.dexerto.com.