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• Tool of the Week — tools you’ll find useful

• Tech News Takes — digestible analysis and commentary

Everybody wants to buy Chrome

Plus: Elon done at DOGE; Apple to India

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⚡ Tech News Takes ⚡

Elon done with DOGE

• What’s up: Elon said he will shift most of his time back to Tesla starting in May, after setting up DOGE during Trump’s first 100 days. Elon will now only spend “a day or two” per week through the end of Trump’s term, “as long as it is useful”. Musk’s role at DOGE had drawn heavy criticism from Tesla investors and fueled the global “Tesla Takedown” protest movement. While Musk claims DOGE has cut waste and fraud, reports have found major errors in its public records.

• So what: Honestly, this seems like a win-win for Musk and Trump. Trump needed to do what any new corporate executive does — shake things up and mark a clean break from what came before. But now he needs to put the pieces back together and reduce the number of fronts on which he’s waging battles (tariffs/China/trade, Ukraine/Russia, DOGE). For Musk, it’s all fun and games as long as work is going well… and work has not been going well (stock down 40% from Dec 2024 peak). Plus, getting back to being the innovative/rich “good guy” is more fun than playing the villain.

Yahoo and OpenAI want Chrome

• What’s up: After losing a DOJ antitrust case last year related to their online search business, Google has had both OpenAI and Yahoo express interest in buying Google’s Chrome browser. Despite early fears that ChatGPT would threaten Google Search, Bank of America reports daily visits to Google Search remained stable in 2024, driving $198 billion (57% of Alphabet’s revenue). And Chrome still has 66% of the browser market.

• So what: It’s not at all surprising to see OpenAI raising their hand here. They desperately need to create sticky, app-like experiences and avoid being a commoditized frontier model firm. But Yahoo!? Would be crazy to see an “also ran” in the browser business buy the winner.

Apple moving to India

• What’s up: Apple plans to manufacture most iPhones sold in the U.S. at factories in India by the end of 2026, accelerating efforts to reduce reliance on China amid tariff concerns. Urgent talks are underway with suppliers Foxconn and Tata, despite Indian production costing 5–10% more than in China. Apple recently shipped $2 billion worth of iPhones from India to the U.S., marking record exports for both contractors. The move comes as U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods remain high, while duties on Indian imports are lower.

• So what: A few thoughts here. First, if anyone can back up a claim like this, it’s Apple. Thanks to Tim Cook, they are supply chain wizards, and with very few exceptions (cough, Apple Intelligence and the Apple car), they follow through on their promises. But on the other hand, I wonder if there’s an element of negotiation happening here. It’s possible that Cook is trying to raise pressure on Trump to create loopholes for Apple or lower tariffs on China. Finally, it’s still a good idea for Apple to diversify out of China. Having multiple options reduces the risk that any one leader (or epidemic) can break their business.

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