A development in the tech space with international ramifications. The US Justice Department is mulling the break-up of Google, divesting it of the Chrome browser and Android OS.
What does it mean, what are the implications and how does it affect India? These are the questions we put to Jaijit Bhattacharya, President of the Centre for Digital Economy Policy Research, a Delhi-based think tank.
In his view, the break-up of Google will end a monopoly by spinning off Chrome and the Android OS into separate companies with no links to Google. It will open the doors to more companies entering this space, there will be more innovation and more competition, which is good for the consumer and good for the industry as a whole.
It could also see the entry of Chinese and Indian firms. China is already an established tech power and can be expected to push its companies but also expect push-back from a world that views Beijing as a threat.
India is also regarded as a rising tech nation and recent moves by the government in the semiconductor and AI space and the presence of global capability centres of major multinationals, is expected to boost India’s presence internationally.
