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\u201cIt\u2019s not absurd, right?\u201d Christian Kroll, CEO of Berlin-based non-profit search engine Ecosia<\/a>, says of his company\u2019s unsolicited request to be granted a 10-year \u201cstewardship\u201d of Google\u2019s Chrome browser, instead of forcing Google to sell it to a competitor.<\/p>\n His idea is most definitely absurd, but also clever. <\/p>\n On Thursday, Ecosia announced it had sent a proposal regarding Chrome to Google and to U.S. Judge Mehta. The judge is expected to rule this month on remedies to his 2024 landmark decision that Google has an illegal monopoly<\/a> in internet search and advertising.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the remedies the Department of Justice asked for would force Google to divest itself from Chrome.<\/a> Google has not agreed to do so (and in 2024 vowed to appeal the original ruling). Still, competitors have been lining up to buy Chrome ever since. Both OpenAI<\/a> and Perplexity have said they\u2019d buy it; last week Perplexity even made an unsolicited $34.5 billion cash offer<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perplexity\u2019s offer was widely panned as being too low (not to mention, billions more than Perplexity has raised to date). \u201cWe\u2019d think OpenAI potentially would be prepared to pay significantly more for it,\u201d speculated RBC analyst Brad Erickson in a research note.<\/p>\n Ecosia believes Chrome is on track to generate $1 trillion over the next decade and an auction could price it \u201cin the hundreds of billions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Which is why, on face value, Ecosia asking to be handed Chrome for free \u2013 including control of about 60% of the revenue generated by its users \u2013 seems absurd.\u00a0<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco<\/span> The proposal promises to spend those billions on climate projects, as is Ecosia\u2019s general mission. Founded in 2009, the non-profit donates millions per month and has relationships with local communities and NGOs in over 35 countries. It has specified projects in this Chrome proposal, including protecting rainforests, global tree-planting and agroforestry, prosecuting polluters, and investing in green AI tech.<\/p>\n The remaining 40% ($400 billion, Ecosia says, based on that $1 trillion estimate) would be paid to Google. Google would maintain intellectual property ownership, and can even continue to be the default search engine. When the decade is up, stewardship could be passed to another, or otherwise reviewed.<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 27-29, 2025<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n