#web-browsers

#web-browsers

Mike Cannon-Brookes, the CEO of enterprise software giant Atlassian, was one of the first users of the Arc browser. Over the last several years, he has been a prolific bug reporter and feature requester. Now he'll own the thing: Atlassian is acquiring The Browser Company, the New York-based startup that makes both Arc and the new AI-focused Dia browser. Atlassian is paying $610 million in cash for The Browser Company, and plans to run it as an independent entity.

Two recent product releases point to this trend: OpenAI's ChatGPT Agent and Perplexity's Comet browser. The ChatGPT Agent uses a basic browser to surf the web on behalf of users, while Comet takes it further by allowing language models to access logged-in sites and complete tasks for users. Both products have not yet achieved reliable performance and currently require expensive subscription access due to their high computing needs.

Web browsers are crucial yet often overlooked; users should explore alternatives to the default options that come with devices for a better experience.

Web browsers are crucial but often underestimated; users should seek better options than the default ones that come with their devices.

"If Google is forced to sell Chrome by the US government, both OpenAI and Perplexity have expressed interest in acquiring it."