Yahoo confirms it’s ready to acquire Chrome browser if Google is ordered to divest, aiming to boost its search market share.
As Google faces mounting antitrust pressure in court, Yahoo is eyeing an unprecedented opportunity — acquiring the Chrome browser.
During ongoing proceedings in the U.S. Department of Justice’s landmark case against Google, Yahoo’s Search GM Brian Provost confirmed that the company is ready to buy Chrome if regulators force Google to sell it. The revelation, first reported by The Verge, could mark a major shift in the browser wars — and in how we navigate the web.
“About 60% of search happens through a browser,” Provost said in his testimony.
He added that Yahoo has already been working on its own browser for the past year, but buying Chrome would be a game-changer. This is because getting Chrome could give them the distribution that they simply can’t match with a homegrown browser
At the heart of the DOJ's case is a concern that Google's search engine dominance is reinforced by its control over distribution channels like Chrome and Android. If the court sides with the DOJ, it could order Google to divest major products, and Chrome is high on that list.
Backed by private equity giant Apollo Global Management, Yahoo could be in a financial position to make the deal happen. The purchase would likely cost tens of billions of dollars, but according to Bloomberg, Yahoo sees it as a worthy investment to grow its current 3% search market share into the double digits.
Yahoo isn't the only one watching the courtroom drama closely. OpenAI and Perplexity have shown interest in Chrome, too. However, financial constraints could keep them on the sidelines.
The idea of Yahoo, once the king of the early internet, taking over one of Google’s flagship products may have seemed far-fetched a few years ago. Today, it’s a real possibility being discussed in a federal courtroom.
For now, all eyes are on Judge Amit Mehta. If the DOJ wins its case, the tech landscape could look very different in a few years, and Chrome might just have a new home.
