The news: ChatGPT-maker OpenAI isn’t just shifting away from its nonprofit roots into a for-profit AI company, it’s looking to reinvent itself as a Big Tech company and using AI as an anchor to expand into services like search and web browsing.
OpenAI is already making inroads in search, hoping to challenge Google’s dominance and disrupt the status quo by making search more customized and conversational. Now, it’s taking aim at web browsers, potentially challenging Google Chrome’s 65% web browser market share, per Statista.
Open to compete: OpenAI’s aggressiveness in pursuing profitable new businesses goes hand-in-hand with its ambitious growth strategy and desire to sustain investor interest and keep those AI billions flowing in.
Bad timing for Google Chrome: The news of AI companies getting into search engines and browsers couldn’t come at a worse time for Google—the Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed a sale of Chrome to break up Google’s search monopoly.
The continued influx of AI capital at OpenAI could accelerate its browser plans. OpenAI could simply acqui-hire a smaller web browser company and infuse it with ChatGPT, resulting in something similar to what Microsoft Edge has done with Copilot.
Our take: The uncertainty around Google Chrome’s future gives competitors like OpenAI a window to grab market share. It might take years to overcome Google’s decades-long lead in browsers, but Google’s antitrust cases are opening opportunities to share the wealth.
This article is part of EMARKETER’s client-only subscription Briefings—daily newsletters authored by industry analysts who are experts in marketing, advertising, media, and tech trends. To help you finish 2024 strong, and start 2025 off on the right foot, articles like this one—delivering the latest news and insights—are completely free through January 31, 2025. If you want to learn how to get insights like these delivered to your inbox every day, and get access to our data-driven forecasts, reports, and industry benchmarks, schedule a demo with our sales team.