If you've been following the court case against Google, then you know that the company was found guilty of being a monopoly in the internet search space under the Sherman Antitrust Act. As a result, Google has already been barred from engaging in anti-competitive behavior, such as locking developers into their app store, taking 30% of all revenue generated from those apps, and paying out billions of dollars to Samsung, Apple, and other device manufacturers to make Google the default search engine on their products for at least three years.
But what's next for the tech giant? Likely, some kind of divestment—aka being forced to sell off parts of the company until they are no longer considered a monopoly. One of the products authorities are seriously considering forcing Google to sell is the Chrome browser.
Now, as you probably know already, Google Chrome is by far the most popular browser in the world. Even Microsoft Edge, Brave Browser, and most other alternatives are really just Chrome underneath the surface. This is one of the more sinister aspects of Google's monopoly, in my opinion. In a future where the whole world runs on Chrome, there’s little to stop the flood of online ads once Manifest V3 is fully rolled out—which was the plan all along.
The True Cost of Free Tools
Google offers many free tools, with Google Chrome being one of the most popular (besides the Google Search engine). However, at the end of the day, Google is a for-profit company. These "free" tools make you the product. Specifically, they collect data about your searches and buying habits to enable targeted ads and convince companies to use Google's ad network to reach you.
Google Ads is the most profitable part of the company, which is why killing off ad blockers with Manifest V3 has been a primary goal for the past few years. If Google is forced to sell Chrome and relinquish control over the Chromium project, the Manifest V3 restrictions could dissolve.
But don’t celebrate the end of Google’s reign of ads just yet. The death of Google Chrome could bring about horrors we haven’t even imagined.
What Happens if Chrome is Sold?
For Google to sell Google Chrome, a market value must be placed on the browser. That price currently sits at about $2 billion. Now, I don’t know about you, but even with Bitcoin hitting all-time highs, I’m still not a billionaire. Only a handful of companies—like Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft—could afford to buy Chrome.
However, these companies are also dealing with their own antitrust lawsuits and are unlikely to jump at the opportunity. Microsoft, for example, faced a similar antitrust suit in 2001 over Internet Explorer being a monopoly.
But imagine if Mark Zuckerberg got his hands on Chrome. Threads might become the world's homepage, and Facebook's search engine could become the default.
All these tech companies also operate their own ad networks, and they profit from defeating ad blockers. So, even if Manifest V3 disappeared under Google, a new owner would likely tailor ad-blocker-breaking technology to their platforms.
The death of Google Chrome could also spell disaster for Mozilla Firefox and Firefox-based software like the Tor Browser. Mozilla, which champions privacy, relies heavily on Google for funding—over 88% of its profits come from Google paying to make its search engine the default in Firefox. Losing this funding would cripple Mozilla, even if it’s unrelated to Chrome’s sale.
Could Chrome Go Open Source?
One potential scenario is that Chrome is handed off to a nonprofit like the Linux Foundation. This might be the best-case scenario for ad-blocker advocates since nonprofits would have little incentive to continue Manifest V3 development.
However, this could lead to the rapid fragmentation of Chrome, with numerous variations cropping up—similar to the current state of Linux distributions. While diversity in software can be good, it also creates compatibility issues and confusion.
The Future of Google Post-Chrome
Regardless of who ends up owning Google Chrome, Google’s next move is likely to focus on artificial intelligence and the Android ecosystem. They may try to make more innovative and appealing phones or, more likely, implement Manifest V3-like restrictions on Android devices to maintain control over ad-blocking capabilities.
Tell me your thoughts about Google being forced to sell Google Chrome in the comments below.
Have a great rest of your day!
