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Comment by crote

1 year ago

Same way it worked in the past with monopolies like Ma Bell?

Those teams can keep working on Chrome, they'll just have to fall under some new kind of separate Chrome Inc. structure instead of under Google Inc., and Google will have to sell most of its shares of Chrome Inc. to third parties.

Splitting off Chrome really isn't the problem. Making the new Chrome Inc. profitable without accepting bribes from big tech, on the other hand...

20 comments

crote

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loeg  1 year ago

Yes, that's sort of the problem. An independent Chrome probably wouldn't be profitable. This is essentially just forcing Google to fire the Chrome developers.

  • stefan_  1 year ago

    I love how people in this thread just unilaterally declare and accept as fact that you can't possibly turn the monopolistic browser and browser engine powering millions of devices and with billions of users into a profitable business. Aim low I guess?

    • mattlondon  1 year ago

      So please enlighten us, how will someone make money from the free product that is free and no one pays for because it is free?

      Selling user browser data obviously won't fly (and note that Google has never explicitly nor directly sold user's browsing data as far as I know, but they do have a huge ad network that utilises cookies...), so what's the plan? Put ads in the browser? "Premium" features?

      The only thing I can think of is highjacking links to Amazon et al to insert referral codes en masse, or selling links/ads on new tab pages.

      5 replies →

  • phkahler  1 year ago

    Microsoft has a customized version of Chrome. Don't they already pay for it?

    • DoctorOW  1 year ago

      Yeah, I could imagine Microsoft making a bid. To people who don't follow tech product ownership, "Windows comes with Chrome instead of Edge" would be good PR and it could basically be Edge minus the rebranding.

      3 replies →

  • Clubber  1 year ago

    >This is essentially just forcing Google to fire the Chrome developers.

    To be fair, Google could reassign them to something else. Firing everybody will be Google's decision that wasn't forced on them.