Google Chrome’s success ‘impossible to recreate,’ exec testifies in DOJ antitrust trial

The general manager for Google Chrome, Parisa Tabriz, testified that the browser’s success is so deeply integrated with Google’s ecosystem that replicating it independently would be “impossible to recreate.” She said this while testifying at the Department of Justice (DOJ) antitrust trial, 

Tabriz emphasized that Chrome’s widespread adoption and performance are closely linked to Google’s infrastructure and services, suggesting that separating the browser from the company could compromise its functionality.

The DOJ contends that Google’s dominance in online search and web browsers results from anti-competitive behaviors, including exclusive agreements with device manufacturers to preinstall Google services and set them as defaults. According to the DOJ, these practices have created substantial barriers for competitors.​

The Department of Justice has been pursuing Google over what it calls illegal market monopolization. The case it lodged against Google is ongoing, but the tech company’s odds of maintaining its search engine are growing thin. The DOJ wants Google to sell Chrome, a suggestion Tabriz strongly opposes.

Tabriz told the court that it would be hard to disentangle Google from the success of Google Chrome

Tabriz claimed that one cannot separate Google from the success of Chrome, saying that no other company could even replicate its success. She believes the browser will crumble in another company’s hands.

Speaking in court on Friday, she remarked, “Trying to disentangle that is unprecedented.” 

She added that Chrome is the product of a nearly two-decade partnership between the Chrome team, Google, and various companies contributing to the open-source Chromium Project, a foundation for several other Google projects, including Android.

She also argued that Google has poured millions of dollars into Chromium and is working on incorporating artificial intelligence into Chrome. The Google team says AI will make the browser more agentic and automate tasks like filling out forms, researching, and shopping.

OpenAI would want to purchase Google Chrome if the company is forced to sell

OpenAI has expressed interest in purchasing the search engine if the DOJ manages to push Google to sell it. ChatGPT’s head of product, Nick Turley, argued that they lead the global consumer chatbot market and did not view Google as its biggest competitor. He, however, believes that their company could still profit from more partnerships.

He testified in court on Friday, telling the judge that Google rejected their proposition to use their search technology within ChatGPT. After seeing issues with its search provider, he claimed OpenAI asked Google about its technology in July last year.

The company emailed Google, saying, “We believe having multiple partners, and in particular Google’s API, would enable us to provide a better product to users,” OpenAI told Google, according to an email shown at trial.

However, Google rejected its request, arguing that their collaboration would involve too many competitors. ChatGPT currently uses Microsoft search engine Bing’s technology and has made zero collaborations with Google.

Turley nonetheless believes that the DOJ’s proposal to have Google share search data with competitors to restore competition would help improve ChatGPT. He admitted that their chatbot is nowhere close to using their own search technology to answer 80% of user questions.

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