The head of privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo testified Wednesday that Google’s Chrome browser could fetch more than $50 billion if sold, acknowledging the figure would be far beyond his company’s capabilities. “I think it’s upwards of $50 billion if it went on the market, and that’s out of DuckDuckGo’s price range,” said CEO Gabriel Weinberg.
Weinberg offered the estimate during a hearing in the U.S. Justice Department’s ongoing antitrust proceedings against Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc. His “ballpark” valuation was based on Chrome’s vast user base and market dominance.
The courtroom appearance forms part of a multi-week hearing in Washington, where regulators are weighing potential remedies after a previous ruling found Google guilty of unlawfully maintaining a monopoly in online search.
Presiding Judge Amit Mehta is now evaluating proposed regulatory actions, which include the possible divestiture of Chrome. The DOJ and a group of US states have argued that Google should be forced to sell off its popular Chrome web browser.
Weinberg’s $50 billion estimate notably exceeds a previous valuation of around $20 billion reported by Bloomberg in November. Such a high price could deter potential buyers if Google is required to spin off Chrome.
Executives from OpenAI and Perplexity, both active in the artificial intelligence sector, have also expressed interest in acquiring Chrome if such a ruling is made by the court.