OpenAI Says It Would Buy Google Chrome
OpenAI has expressed interest in buying Google Chrome if the browser is forced to be sold off as part of a federal antitrust push. The statement came during the ongoing trial in Washington, where OpenAI executive Nick Turley testified that deeper integration with Chrome could offer users “an AI first experience.” While Google hasn’t made Chrome available for sale, the DOJ wants a court-ordered breakup, citing Google’s monopoly in search and advertising.
The trial has revealed Google's past rejections of OpenAI’s efforts to partner on integrating search technology into ChatGPT. Turley testified that Google turned down OpenAI’s request to use its search API, even as the chatbot struggles with its own search limitations. “We have no partnership with Google today,” he said, adding that distribution remains a major challenge, especially in the Android ecosystem where Google holds sway over default apps and browsers.
Turley warned about the power big tech firms have over user access points, noting, “We may be shut out.” The trial is expected to last three weeks, and Judge Amit Mehta will decide what remedies, if any, Google must adopt. If forced to divest Chrome, it would be one of the largest court-ordered tech breakups since AT&T in the 1980s.
