OpenAI Just Said It’ll Buy Chrome. Yes, Google’s Chrome.

If Google sells Chrome to crack open its search monopoly, Chrome will probably find a potential new home – OpenAI.

The Trial

In the US v. Google lawsuit, the US Department of Justice proposed a remedy of Google breaking off Chrome. Judge Amit Mehta ruled last year that the company is a monopolist in online search. The remedies phase of Google’s monopoly trial began on Monday. Google is planning to appeal the ruling.

The Department of Justice proclaimed that Google must be deprived of the Chrome web browser to restore the online search market competition. However, it did leave the door open for Google to spin out Android, too. The U.S. DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open its search monopoly.

The judge previously found Google used exclusive agreements to bolster its search monopoly. The trial will deal with proposed remedies to restore competition in the search market.

OpenAI’ Interest in buying Chrome

If at all, Google is asked to sell off Chrome, ChatGPT’s Head of Product told a judge that OpenAI would be interested in buying the Internet browser.

Nick Turley, the OpenAI exec, also affirmed that OpenAI had contacted Google last year about a potential partnership under which ChatGPT would be allowed to use Google’s search technology. ChatGPT can pull from Bing’s search information, and while Nick Turley did not specifically discuss Microsoft, he did confirm that OpenAI has had “significant quality issues” with a company referred to as “Provider No. 1,” according to Bloomberg.

In an email shown at the trial, shared by Reuters, OpenAI said that “We believe in having multiple partners, and in particular Google’s API, would enable us to provide a better product to users”.

Google chose not to partner with OpenAI, and according to Bloomberg, Turley testified – “We have no partnership with Google today. OpenAI has also been working on its own search index. Even though OpenAI originally wanted to use ChatGPT for 80 percent of searches by the end of 2025, the company now believes that achieving that milestone might take years”.

Antimonopoly enforcers were concerned that Google's dominance could extend to OpenAI purchasing Chrome.

But Google has not yet offered Chrome for sale, and it plans to strongly appeal for the ruling rights that it holds as a monopoly.

The high-stakes trial began by providing a preview into the generative AI race, where Big Tech companies and startups are competing to build up their apps and increase users. Prosecutors raised concerns in opening statements on Monday that Google's search monopoly could not only give it advantages in AI, and its AI products will lead users to its search engine in return.

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