Latest news with #ParisaTabriz
Business Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Perplexity's bid for Google Chrome is mostly mischief
IF YOU are fighting an antitrust lawsuit that might end up breaking your company into pieces, one defence is to argue that those pieces would wither away if separated from the mothership, thus creating a worse outcome for the consumer. That is what Google has been doing in the face of Department of Justice (DOJ) calls for it to sell Chrome, its market-leading web browser, as part of the remedies for its monopolistic behaviours involving its search business. The company wrote on its blog in May: 'DOJ's proposal to break off Chrome – which billions of people use for free – would break it and result in a 'shadow of the current Chrome', according to Chrome leader Parisa Tabriz. She added that the browser would likely become 'insecure and obsolete'.' This defence was complicated somewhat on Tuesday (Aug 12) when it emerged that Perplexity, an artificial-intelligence (AI) company, had made an 'audacious' (Bloomberg), 'long-shot' (The Wall Street Journal) and 'mischievous' (me) bid to take Chrome off Google's hands for US$34.5 billion. Perplexity doesn't have US$34.5 billion – the company was valued at US$18 billion at the time of its last funding round – but said it would pull the money together from a coalition of investors who are already on board with the plan. The deal would realistically be possible only if the court does indeed force the Alphabet unit to sell Chrome, which, according to most analysts I have spoken to, would be an extreme measure. But it is certainly not an impossibility. Indeed, it might have become slightly more possible thanks to Perplexity's bid and what might come next. But before I get into that, let's humour this for a second and talk about why buying Chrome would make sense for Perplexity. The Web browser, as I was discussing earlier this week, has become a critical early battleground for shaping new habits in AI. Perplexity realises this and recently introduced its own browser, Comet, which places its own AI assistant front and centre. If you type a query into the address bar, Comet will, instead of searching Google, turn to its AI instead. (After almost a month of using it, I'm not at all sold that this is an improvement, but that's for another column.) BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up At scale, this shift in behaviour – from search engine to AI – would be profound. The problem is that Comet, which is being used by only a handful of users in an early-access programme, has a minuscule market share compared with Chrome's 70 per cent of desktop browser use globally and 67 per cent on mobile. Following loose estimates of about 3.5 billion users of Chrome, napkin math suggests that Perplexity would be paying about US$10 per user. The goal then, of course, would be to convert as many of them as possible to users of its US$20-a-month 'Pro' AI plan. As AI business models go, it is actually not bad. Unlike its biggest competitors, Perplexity lacks a shop window for its AI, an existing highly used product where users can discover the functionality of AI without having to consciously go looking for it. Buying Chrome certainly makes a lot more sense than Perplexity's previous headline-grabbing mergers and acquisitions move, which was a merger bid for TikTok. Still, the lack of movement in Alphabet's share price on Tuesday suggests that investors have brushed off the possibility. For starters, some analysts think the valuation is way off. The offer 'vastly undervalues the asset, and should not be taken seriously', according to Baird. A better number, its analysts said, would be more like US$100 billion – though it's hard to say how the dynamics of a deal would play out if Google had no choice but to sell Chrome. Previous valuations put it somewhere between US$30 billion and US$50 billion, a figure that seems a little conservative if the browser is indeed pivotal to building AI market share. Regardless, what this bid truly represents is a cunning plan to get in the ear of Judge Amit Mehta as he considers the appropriate antitrust remedies for Google's prior bad behaviour. By making this move, Perplexity is skewering Google's defence that spinning out Chrome would be fatal to not just Chrome but to Chromium, the open-source project that forms the backbone of most top Web browsers, including Google's direct competitors. It can now be sincerely argued that there's a bona fide offer from a company capable of not only taking Chrome out of Google's hands but developing it further – keeping it from becoming 'insecure and obsolete', as Google warned. What's more, it seems likely other AI companies will throw their names into the running. OpenAI's head of ChatGPT testified during the trial that the company would be interested in buying Chrome, 'as would many other parties'. How much the judge takes any of this into account when making his ruling is another thing. He probably should not. The rationale to force a sale of Chrome would be to prevent Alphabet from creating a new AI monopoly with the same tactics it used to dominate the world of search. Fine, but Judge Mehta has other tools at his disposal to achieve that more fairly. After all, the only reason an AI company would be interested in buying Chrome, at a cost that's double its existing value, would be to use the browser for those same anti-competitive ends. BLOOMBERG
Hans India
21-05-2025
- Hans India
Chrome to Auto-Update Weak Passwords with One Click, Says Google
If you've been guilty of sticking with weak passwords like "password", 'abcd' and "1234",Google is now stepping in to help — automatically. At the Google I/O 2025 developer conference, the tech giant unveiled a new Chrome feature that will allow users to automatically update weak or compromised passwords on supported websites. Built into Google Password Manager, this enhancement goes beyond simply flagging insecure passwords — it can now fix them in a single click. 'When Chrome detects a compromised password during sign-in, Google Password Manager prompts the user with an option to fix it automatically,' the company shared in a blog post. 'On supported websites, Chrome can generate a strong replacement and update the password for the user automatically.' The aim is to remove friction from the process of improving password security — a task many users tend to procrastinate. 'If we tell you your password is weak, it's really annoying to actually have to change your password,' said Parisa Tabriz, Vice President and General Manager of Chrome, during a pre-I/O briefing. 'And we know that if something is annoying, people are not going to actually do it. So we see automatic password change as a win for safety, as well as usability.' Importantly, Google reassured users that Chrome will never change a password without their explicit approval. The browser will only act once the user agrees, keeping full control in their hands. 'We're very much focused on keeping the user in control of changing their password,' Tabriz emphasised. The auto-change feature is not entirely new — Google had previously introduced it through its Assistant on Android. But bringing the tool directly into Chrome means significantly broader access and ease of use, especially for those relying heavily on desktop or browser-based logins. This move highlights Google's continued efforts to improve both usability and security in everyday digital experiences. According to the company, the feature will be rolled out later this year, and in the meantime, developers are being encouraged to prepare their websites to support this update. The integration will not only help users stay safer online but will also enhance how password managers and login systems interact, ensuring a smoother, more secure internet for everyone.
India Today
21-05-2025
- India Today
Google Chrome will now automatically change your bad passwords, just like 1234 and done
Are you guilty of setting weak passwords and dreading the effort to update them across websites? Google is stepping in to help. At its I/O 2025 developer conference, the company announced a new Chrome feature that will automatically change weak or compromised passwords on supported websites because in 2025 – 1234 will not just cut it. Google revealed that this new feature is built upon Chrome's existing Google Password Manager, which already flags unsafe passwords. However, with this new update, the Password Manager will go a step further. Instead of simply alerting users to problems like "1234" or "password", Chrome will offer to fix the problem in one click — automatically generating a strong password and updating it on the user's Chrome detects a compromised password during sign-in, Google Password Manager prompts the user with an option to fix it automatically,' the company noted in a blog post. 'On supported websites, Chrome can generate a strong replacement and update the password for the user automatically.' According to Google, the goal is to solve a common issue: most users know they should use strong, unique passwords, but often avoid the hassle of changing them — even when warned.'If we tell you your password is weak, it's really annoying to actually have to change your password. And we know that if something is annoying, people are not going to actually do it. So we see automatic password change as a win for safety, as well as usability,' said Parisa Tabriz, Vice President and General Manager of Chrome, in a pre-I/O Google highlights that automatic password changes will not happen without the user's consent. The company noted that Chrome won't modify any password unless the user explicitly agrees to it. So while the browser is smart enough to catch vulnerabilities and handle replacements, it will never do so silently or without permission. 'We're very much focused on keeping the user in control of changing their password,' Tabriz the automated password change feature isn't entirely new — Google previously introduced it via Assistant on Android. However, integrating it directly into Chrome will make the tool significantly more accessible and widely will roll out the feature later this year. Right now, Google is encouraging developers and websites to prepare for this functionality by implementing the necessary changes for the update. These tweaks will make it easier for browsers and password managers to interact with login systems more efficiently.
The Verge
20-05-2025
- The Verge
Google Chrome will be able to automatically change your bad passwords
Google is going to let Chrome's password manager automatically change your password when it detects one that is weak, the company announced at its Google I/O conference. 'When Chrome detects a compromised password during sign-in, Google Password Manager prompts the user with an option to fix it automatically,' according to a blog post. 'On supported websites, Chrome can generate a strong replacement and update the password for the user automatically.' Google is announcing the feature at Google I/O so that developers can start to prepare their websites and apps for the change ahead of when it launches later this year. Chrome's password manager can already tell you if you have an unsafe password. 'But if we tell you your password is weak, it's really annoying to actually have to change your password,' Parisa Tabriz, VP and GM of Chrome, said in a briefing ahead of the event. 'And we know that if something is annoying, people are not going to actually do it. So we see automatic password change as a win for safety, as well as usability. Overall, that's a win-win for users.' I asked if Chrome might automatically change passwords on a regular basis so they're never outdated, but Tabriz says that Chrome won't change a bad or compromised password without user consent. 'We're very much focused on keeping the user in control of changing their password.'
Business Insider
28-04-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Google browser chief tells judge only Google can run Chrome, Bloomberg says
Parisa Tabriz, the browser's general manager, said Google is the only company that can offer the level of features and functionality that its Chrome web browser has, Leah Nylen of Bloomberg report, citing comments made as part of the Justice Department's antitrust case in Washington federal court. 'Chrome today represents 17 years of collaboration between the Chrome people… Trying to disentangle that is unprecedented,' Tabriz said. The Justice Department has asked that Google be forced to sell its Chrome browser and share some of the data its collects to create its search results. Stay Ahead of the Market: Discover outperforming stocks and invest smarter with Top Smart Score Stocks. Filter, analyze, and streamline your search for investment opportunities using Tipranks' Stock Screener.
