Yahoo has emerged as the latest company interested in purchasing Chrome in the event Google is forced to sell its web browser.

Google is currently in court for the remedies state of its trial, making its case for why it should not be forced to divest itself of the web browser it built. The DOJ says Chrome is a major factor in Google’s search monopoly, since the browser dominates the market.

Perplexity and OpenAI have already emerged as potential buyers, but now Yahoo is throwing its hat in the ring. According to The Verge, Yahoo made its intentions clear during the fourth day of the remedies arguments.

Interestingly, Yahoo also said it is already prototyping its own in-house browser, viewing a web browser as a critical element to effectively competing in the search market. Yahoo Search General Manager Brian Provost said the company has been “actively internally developing a prototype of a browser” since last summer, but would be interested in purchasing one as a way to speed up the process.

Buying Chrome Could Help Yahoo Revitalize Its Search

Yahoo was one of the internet’s first real search engines, and was the most popular option until Google dethroned it. The company has since relied on Microsoft’s Bing to power its search results, but there have been rumors the company may be looking to launch its own search engine once again.

If Yahoo believes that owning a web browser is a critical component to the success of a search engine, it makes sense why the company has not launched a full-fledged Google challenger yet, despite statements that it could have happened as early as 2024.

Yahoo is clearly intent on recapturing its former glory, and has been making impressive strides in that direction since it was acquired by Apollo Funds and became a standalone company in 2021. In 2023, Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone said the the company was “ready financially, the company has a great balance sheet, we’re very profitable.”

Apollo Funds partner Reed Rayman said an IPO was “a decently likely outcome.”

Purchasing Chrome could be a major boost to Yahoo’s plans, giving it the final piece of the puzzle it needs to directly challenge Google, and challenge its longtime rival for the online search business.