Quick overview

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Atlassian announced it has reached an agreement to buy The Browser Company, offering $610 million in cash to a startup that sells a web browser with AI capabilities. During Atlassian’s fiscal second quarter, which concludes in December, the companies hope to finalize the deal.

The Browser has faced off against some tech giants like Apple, which has Safari on its macOS computers, and Google, which has Chrome. In 2022, the startup unveiled Arc, a customizable browser that allows users to share tab groups and has an integrated whiteboard.

The Dia browser went into beta in June. It is a more straightforward option that lets users chat with an AI assistant about multiple tabs in their browser. Mike Cannon-Brookes, co-founder and CEO of Atlassian, stated that he believes the most widely used browsers have flaws for people who spend a lot of time on computers. “A browser designed for a different purpose is not very good at what you’re actually doing in it.”

The Browser Co. spoke with Perplexity, an AI search startup that made Google an offer of $34.5 billion for Chrome. regarding a potential purchase in December, according to The Information. OpenAI also had negotiations for a deal with The Browser. Cannon-Brookes would not say if Atlassian thought about purchasing Google’s browser.

The Justice Department suggested a divestiture after a federal judge determined that the company had a monopoly on internet searches last year. Cannon-Brookes remarked, “I’m not even sure if there is a bidding competition for Chrome. “

I haven’t noticed Google holding an auction yet. Look, I believe that our main priorities are completing acquisitions, integrating those products into a cohesive whole, and providing value to our clients. Stunt PR acquisition offers aren’t really our thing, but we’ll let them handle that. “Comet, Perplexity’s proprietary AI browser, has been made available to early adopters.