Google says its Chrome browser could not be replicated if it’s forced to sell it off, warning of serious consequences for consumers and developers.
Google Chrome’s general manager Parisa Tabriz told a US federal court on Friday (25 April) that Chrome’s performance heavily relies on Google’s infrastructure, making any divestiture “unprecedented” and “high-risk.”
Her comments came during a major antitrust trial where the US Department of Justice (DOJ) is pushing to break up Google’s dominance in internet search.
“Chrome represents 17 years of collaboration between Chrome and the rest of Google,” Tabriz said. She highlighted that features like password protection, safe browsing, and autofill depend on shared Google systems. “I don’t think it could be recreated,” she said.
The DOJ argues that Chrome, which commands around 66% of the global browser market, strengthens Google’s illegal monopoly. Prosecutors want Chrome sold to a third party and for Google to share some search data to level the playing field for rivals like Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, and Perplexity AI.
However, Tabriz said stripping Chrome from Google would impact not just the browser, but the broader tech ecosystem, including Chromium, the open-source project that underpins other browsers like Microsoft Edge and Samsung Internet. She noted Google contributes over 90% of Chromium’s code.
The court also heard from Harvard computer science professor James Mickens, who said a Chrome divestiture would be technically feasible. Yet, Tabriz insisted Google’s ongoing investment is critical to Chromium’s future and that AI integration plans, including Chrome evolving into an “agentic browser” with automation capabilities, could be disrupted.
The high-stakes trial, presided over by Judge Amit Mehta, could reshape the tech landscape if Google is ordered to part ways with one of its crown jewels. Google is expected to call CEO Sundar Pichai and other senior executives to the stand in the coming days.
