Google may be forced to sell its Chrome browser for as much as $20 billion in a historic crackdown on one of the world’s largest tech companies.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) will reportedly propose the measure to a judge on Wednesday, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The judge, Amit Mehta, presided over the United States VS. Google antitrust case in August and ruled in favor of the former, declaring that Google had illegally monopolized the search market. This allowed the DOJ to consider what actions could be taken to enable Google to lose its unfair monopoly status.
Being forced to sell or otherwise give up Chrome would be a catastrophic blow to Google’s services. The data it collects from the browser offers the tech giant invaluable insights into its users, enhancing its advertising operations. It is also a direct gateway to other Google products, such as Google Search, Google Drive, Gmail, and even Gemini AI.
Should a sale take place, Chrome would be worth “at least $15-$20 billion, given it has over 3 billion monthly active users,” according to Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Mandeep Singh.
According StatCounter, two-thirds of the world’s internet users browse the web via Chrome, which is by far the most used browser in the world. The proposed sale has the potential to reshape the internet landscape, online search market and rising AI industry as we know it.
Google has voiced sharp objections to the proposal. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s vice president of regulatory affairs, emphasized that the Justice Department “continues to push a radical agenda that goes far beyond the legal issues in this case.”
“The government putting its thumb on the scale in these ways would harm consumers, developers and American technological leadership at precisely the moment it is most needed,” she added.
The case was first filed by the first Trump administration and continued under sitting President Joe Biden. This marks the most aggressive and successful attempt to rein in a technology company since Washington unsuccessfully sought to fracture Microsoft Corp two decades ago.
