Browser Wars Begun They Have: OpenAI’s ‘Atlas’ Launch Sparks Anxiety For Alphabet

Shares of Google fell after OpenAI unveiled plans to launch its first AI-powered web browser, signaling direct competition with Google Chrome.

The new browser, called “Atlas,” will debut globally on macOS, with Windows, iOS, and Android versions coming in the near term. According to Sam Altman and other OpenAI executives, Atlas will feature:

• An AI agent capable of fully controlling your browser

• The ability to chat directly with any website you visit

• Conversational access to your entire browsing history

• Deeply integrated, personalized AI features are woven into every aspect of the browsing experience

This might mark the R.I.P. moment for Perplexity’s Comet, and perhaps even for Chrome.

Or maybe it’s simply the point in history when the AI browser war officially began.

Meet our new browser—ChatGPT Atlas.

Available today on macOS: https://t.co/UFKSQXvwHT pic.twitter.com/AakZyUk2BV

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) October 21, 2025

Think about it: ChatGPT already has 700 million weekly active users worldwide, while Chrome boasts 3.45 billion users globally and controls about 64.9% of the browser market as of March 2025. OpenAI wants to take a serious bite out of that market share.

In markets…

DOWNSIDE IN GOOGLE ATTRIBUTED TO SPECULATION OPENAI WILL ANNOUNCE A NEW BROWSER AT EVENT TODAY: NEWSQUAWK

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 21, 2025

Traders were likely selling Google earlier on AI browser speculation, as Atlas could threaten Google’s search-ad margins, which account for about 57% of its total revenue.

Watch Atlas reveal:

The AI browser era has begun.