“That’s not ridiculous, right?” Christian Kroll, CEO of Berlin-based non-profit search engine Ecosia, talks about his company’s unsolicited request to be allowed to “stewardship” Google’s Chrome browser for a decade instead of forcing Google to sell to its competitors.
His ideas are definitely ridiculous, but they’re smart.
On Thursday, Ecosia announced it had sent its Chrome proposals to Google and to US Judge Amit Mehta. The judge is set to rule this month in the relief package for his 2024 landmark decision that Google has an illegal monopoly on internet search and advertising.
One of the remedies sought by the Department of Justice would force Google to sell itself from Chrome. Google has not agreed to do so (in 2024 it pledged to appeal the original ruling). Still, competitors have been in line to buy chrome ever since. Openai and confusion say they buy it. Last week, Perplexity brought in an unsolicited $34.5 billion cash offer.
Perplexity offers were widely panned as too low (needless to say, billions have increased beyond previous confusion). “I think Openai is ready to pay a huge amount of money for it,” RBC analyst Brad Erickson said in a research note.
Ecosia believes Chrome is on track to generate $1 trillion over the next decade, and can price it at auction “for hundreds of millions of people.”
So, at face value, Ecosia, who asks to hand over chrome for free, including around 60% control of the revenue generated by users, seems ridiculous.
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The proposal promises to spend these billions on climate projects, similar to Ecosia’s general mission. Founded in 2009, the nonprofit organization contributes millions per month and is affiliated with local communities and NGOs in over 35 countries. The Chrome proposal designates projects, including rainforest protection, global trees and agroforestry protection, polluters prosecution and investment in green AI technology.
The remaining 40% ($400 billion) will be paid to Google based on that $1 trillion estimate, says Ecosia. Google can maintain intellectual property ownership and even remain the default search engine. With a decade more, stewardship could be passed on to another person or otherwise reviewed.
Ecosia, which uses Google to drive search engines, already has a revenue share partnership with Tech Giant. They also already offer their own browser built on the Chromium Open Source engine that powers Chrome. That’s why Kroll believes the idea of stewardship is not that out of line. “We’re going to be happy to have Chrome manage for them,” he says. Ecosia has even offered to keep Chrome staffing up.
Still, Kroll acknowledges that the bigger goal is to have the judge consider alternatives to typical sales options for sale or spinning. These options simply keep Chrome’s power and its billions in the pocket of big technology.
“We have a track record of making the impossible possible,” he says. Should he make him think, “Who knows what comes out of it?”
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