this post was submitted on 21 Nov 2024
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[–] InEnduringGrowStrong@sh.itjust.works 39 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Don't fucking let Musk buy it though

[–] ROAGO@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago

Why is everyone acting like this is a thing that will happen? All they have to do is wait roughly 90 days and it'll all go away.

[–] daggermoon@lemmy.world 40 points 3 days ago (5 children)

What company could actually afford to buy it other than Google, Meta, or Amazon? Unless they are forced to sell it at a loss, which is fine with me.

[–] ArchRecord@lemm.ee 42 points 3 days ago (2 children)

By "sell," they could also mean ending up having Chrome just split off from Google, as a new, independent entity that is its own company, without anybody needing to buy it in the first place.

[–] gap_betweenus@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (2 children)

How exactly is this company going to make any money?

[–] AhismaMiasma@lemm.ee 10 points 2 days ago

I assume by continuing to sell data.

[–] ArchRecord@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago

Selling user data, selling ad placement, subscriptions for paid services, enterprise-grade support contracts, and the like.

They could also take an approach similar to Google, branching back out from being just a browser into a suite of related tools that Chrome can then convince users to switch to (similar to how Chrome gets users to not just use Google search, but also services like Gmail too.)

[–] JasSmith@sh.itjust.works 5 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The judge would immediately shut that down for creative avoidance. This is an order to sell, not break up. The DOJ specifically indicated behavioural remedies in this case, meaning Google must not remain in control of Chrome.

[–] ArchRecord@lemm.ee 5 points 2 days ago

This is an order to sell, not break up.

Currently, it's still recommended actions to the court. Nothing has actually been finalized in terms of what they're going to actually end up trying to make Google do.

Google must not remain in control of Chrome.

While divestiture is likely, they could also spin-off, split-off, or carve-out, which carry completely different implications for Google, but are still an option if they are unable to convince the court to make Google do their original preferred choice.

A split-off could prevent Google from retaining shares in the new company without sacrificing shares in Google itself, and a carve-out could still allow them to "sell" it, but via shares sold in an IPO instead of having to get any actual buyout from another corporation.

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[–] Radiantprime@feddit.uk 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] dinckelman@lemmy.world 13 points 2 days ago (2 children)

With all due respect for Valve, they don't need this. They exist in their niche, and they're exceptionally good at doing their work

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[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 8 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Oracle, sun, tencent, tita...

oracle would create MANGO (Microsoft,Apple,nvidia,google and Oracle)

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Microsoft is probably drooling at the prospect. They’ve been trying to get that IE monopoly back since this happened to them.

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[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 197 points 4 days ago (7 children)

Alphabet’s Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker, says the DOJ is pushing “a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership.”

I'm honestly curious how this would "harm Americans".

[–] webghost0101@sopuli.xyz 93 points 4 days ago

Google pretending they have any other nationality other then “the global internet” is cute in a disgusting way.

[–] ladicius@lemmy.world 84 points 3 days ago (3 children)

That statement is technically true.

The billionaire owners are Americans.

[–] Beldarofremulak@lemmy.world 41 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Everyone really does need to have that at the forefront of their mind. When the C-suit, wall street, and politicians talk about "Americans" they aren't talking about us schlubs.

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[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 days ago

It harms wealthy asshole Americans at Google.

[–] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 23 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Alphabet’s Chief Legal Officer sounds like Donald Trump

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 19 points 3 days ago

I fear this is exactly who they're courting.

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[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 128 points 3 days ago (2 children)

This is the last antitrust win we'll get for years, isn't it?

I know Trump doesn't like Big Tech, but I doubt his admin will punish them meaningfully, but just rail about censorship.

[–] babybus@sh.itjust.works 80 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This isn't a win I think. They are yet to meet in the court with Google.

The DOJ will file a revised version of its proposals in early March, before the government and Google return to the DC District Court in April for a two-week remedies trial.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 10 points 3 days ago

I keep saying this. In 2 months all this antitrust stuff goes out the window. If people actually bothered to show up on 11/5 Kahn and co could actually get some wins for the American people. Instead, we're going to get more monopolies shoved down our throats.

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[–] Auli@lemmy.ca 104 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Ehh just fight it for a month pay king trump some money and bam their golden.

[–] Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world 44 points 3 days ago (5 children)

This is exactly what will happen. Same thing with Albertsons and Kroger too.

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 17 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Sell it to me, I'll buy it for one dollar.

[–] Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee 6 points 2 days ago

I'll go treefitty

[–] 200ok@lemmy.world 64 points 4 days ago (3 children)

If they're allowed to choose who they sell it to this won't change anything

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 50 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I think they should sell it to me.

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[–] mosscap@slrpnk.net 2 points 2 days ago

Trump will let this go through and behind the scenes force a deal where X buys Chrome

[–] Bosht@lemmy.world 43 points 3 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (19 children)

Just...please for the love of whatever diety do Microsoft. Fucking sick of their shit recently with One Drive.

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[–] nutsack@lemmy.world 27 points 3 days ago (11 children)

sell it to Microsoft so they can finally have a web browser that people use

[–] Liz@midwest.social 24 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yes, the anti-trust lawsuit should culminate in one part of a tech giant being sold to another tech giant.

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[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 20 points 3 days ago (1 children)
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[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 35 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

People wondering what Chrome has to do with a search monopoly:

The obvious benefit is that they can default the user's search provider to Google.

But the more nefarious benefit is that, by controlling both the client and server, they can unilaterally decide the future of web standards. They don't have to advocate for proposals, gain consensus, and limit themselves to well-supported standards the way other companies do. They can just do it, gain the first-mover advantage, and force others to follow suit.

If they don't like HTTP/2, they can invent their own protocol and implement it for their search servers and Chrome. Suddenly, using Chrome with Google Search is way faster than using Chrome with Bing or using Firefox with Google Search. Even if Microsoft and Mozilla don't like the protocol, they now have to adopt it or fall behind.

This has happened. QUIC was deployed in 2012. Firefox gained support in 2021.

They're doing the same thing with Privacy Sandbox, and you can also look at browser feature compatibility tables to see how eager Google is to force their own interpretation of every not-yet-finalized web standard as the canonical interpretation.

Edit: Also, JPEG XL vs. WebP.

[–] Corigan@lemm.ee 2 points 2 days ago

Nah I rather they not get deeply vested in figuring out as revenue...

[–] rockSlayer@lemmy.world 34 points 4 days ago (7 children)

They should force it to become a worker cooperative. It's the only solution that doesn't allow for corruption

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Step 1: Buy Chome

Step 2: End development

Step 3: ???

Step 4: ~~Profit?~~ Non-Profit Firefox?

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