“It’s not absurd, right?” Christian Kroll, Managing Director of the Berlin -based non -profit machine EcosystemHe says about his company’s unwanted request to grant a 10 -year “Management” of Google’s Chrome browser, rather than forcing Google to sell it to a competitor.
His idea is definitely irrational, but also smart.
On Thursday, Ecosia announced that it had sent a proposal to Chrome to Google and US judge Amit Mehta. The judge is expected to rule this month on corrective measures in the 2024 milestone decision that Google has an illegal monopoly on internet search and advertising.
One of the remedies requested by the Justice Ministry will force Google to assign from Chrome. Google did not agree to do so (and in 2024 vowed to appeal to the original decision). Still, competitors have invested to buy Chrome since then. Both Openai and the embarrassment said they would buy it. Last week, the embarrassment even made a $ 34.5 billion cash offer.
Perplexity’s offer was wide, it is very low (so as not to mention, to date they have increased billions more than embarrassment). “I would think Openai would be ready to pay significantly more for it,” analyst RBC Brad Erickson said in a research note.
Ecosia believes Chrome is on the right track to make $ 1 trillion over the next decade and an auction could honor it “in hundreds of billions,” says Kroll.
Therefore, with the nominal value, Ecosia is asking for the Chrome to be delivered free of charge – including the control of about 60% of the revenue produced by its users – it seems absurd.
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The proposal promises to spend these billions on climate projects, as well as the general mission of Ecosia. Founded in 2009, the non -profit organization donates millions a month and has relations with local communities and NGOs in more than 35 countries. He has set projects in this Chrome proposal, including protecting tropical forests, worldwide tree planting and farming, pollution and investment in Green Ai Tech.
The remaining 40% ($ 400 billion, Ecosia says, based on the $ 1 trillion estimate) will be paid to Google. Google will maintain copyright ownership and can even continue to be the default search engine. When the decade is up, management could be transferred to another or reviewed in another way.
Ecosia, which uses Google to feed the search engine, already has a revenue share with the technological giant. And it already offers its own browser based on the Chromium open source engine that dominates Chrome. That is why Kroll believes that the idea of management is not so off the line. “We will be happy to manage Chrome for them,” he says. Ecosia even offers to maintain employment for Chrome staff.
Also, Kroll admits that the biggest goal is to get the judge to consider alternatives to the standard assignment or rotation options. These choices would simply keep Chrome’s power and billions in the Big Tech pockets.
“We keep a history to do impossible things loudly,” he says. He has to think of the judge: “Who knows what can come out of it?”
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