Overview

• The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking to force Google to divest its Chrome browser and halt default search payments in an effort to curb its search monopoly.
• Chrome General Manager Parisa Tabriz testified that Chrome's reliance on Google's infrastructure makes disentanglement unprecedented and potentially harmful to users.
• DOJ expert James Mickens countered, stating that transferring Chrome ownership is technically feasible and would not cause significant disruption.
• Companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Yahoo have expressed interest in acquiring Chrome, viewing it as a strategic asset due to its two-thirds share of the global browser market.
• The remedies hearing, currently underway in Washington, D.C., will shape Judge Amit Mehta's decision, expected by late summer 2025, on whether Google must divest Chrome.