The Browser Company on Tuesday mentioned it’s contemplating promoting or open-sourcing its Arc Browser because it seeks to divert sources to creating a brand new, AI-powered browser known as Dia.
When the corporate introduced Dia in December 2024, it admitted that Arc was a fancy browser for lots of customers, and it needed to construct a product that appealed to the plenty. Since then, The Browser Company has been issuing bug fixes and safety updates to Arc, however has stopped creating the app and including options to it.
In a brand new weblog submit, the corporate’s CEO, Josh Miller, mentioned Arc browser ran right into a “novelty tax” downside.
“For most individuals, Arc was just too completely different, with too many new issues to study, for too little reward […] On high of that, Arc lacked cohesion in each its core options and core values. It was experimental, that was a part of its attraction, but additionally its complexity,” Miller wrote.
The Browser Company doesn’t plan to close down Arc fully, but it surely mentioned it has thought-about promoting it or open-sourcing it. However, Miller mentioned the problem in open-sourcing the browser is that it’s constructed on high of the Arc Development Kit, an inner SDK, which can also be the core element of its new browser Dia, and it wouldn’t need to give away that IP.
“While we’d like to open-source Arc sometime, we will’t try this meaningfully with out additionally open-sourcing ADK. And ADK remains to be core to our firm’s worth. That doesn’t imply it’ll by no means occur,” Miller mentioned.
Notably, many Arc Browser customers have been asking the corporate to show it into an open-source undertaking.
The Browser Company’s Dia browser remains to be in alpha testing. The firm hasn’t given a date for a wider launch, but it surely mentioned that it’ll make the browser accessible for testing to Arc members.
