In March 2023, I wrote a short article regarding my usage of Arc, a Chromium-based browser from The Browser Company.

Nearly one year later, I continue to use Arc as my primary browser on macOS, displacing Google Chrome. In addition, I have been working with The Browser Company to bring Arc to business, with early access to the Windows beta.

I am pleased to report that Arc continues to deliver on its promise, taking the best parts of Google Chrome, whilst restructuring the user experience to better suit modern web workflows.

As highlighted in my previous article, my greatest concern for the future of Arc is the pressure to generate money for investors. This can lead to shareholder-centric features that offer minimal end-user value, whilst also impacting the core experience.

In my opinion, this is exactly what happened with Microsoft Edge, which had the potential to be a great Chromium-based browser, but has been compromised by the “internal politics” at Microsoft, which prioritised adjacent agendas (e.g., advertisement revenue, co-promotions, referrals, etc.)

In October, I feared my concerns had been realised when The Browser Company released Arc Max, which is a collection of integrated Generative AI features. I completely appreciate the “hype” associated with Generative AI, resulting in widespread FOMO. However, in my opinion, prioritising “non-essential” features based on hype alone is a slippery slope, that can quickly become a distraction, leading to “bloatware” that increases the complexity of the codebase, ultimately impacting performance, reliability and security.

Thankfully, Arc Max was implemented fairly well, remaining optional (off by default), with a non-intrusive user interface and no immediate requirement to subscribe and/or pay for use. I have chosen to be optimistic, hoping that this implementation approach is evidence that The Browser Company understand the importance of protecting their core value proposition (user experience).

As a comparison, Arc for Windows (which is still in beta) is not at feature parity with the macOS version, highlighting the potential of a browser that is streamlined, lightweight and focused.

In my opinion, The Browser Company should take inspiration from Arc for Windows and not aim for feature parity with the macOS version. Instead, I would like to see the two versions “meet in the middle”, looking for opportunities to remove/consolidate features from Arc for macOS.

Unfortunately, I fear the pressure to generate money for investors will continue to build. At this time, it would appear The Browser Company are hoping that scale can help overcome this challenge, which commonly unlocks new monetisation opportunities (search deals, referrals, etc.) However, as proven by Mozilla and Firefox, I do not believe scale alone is the answer to sustained success, as it can be easily lost. For example, in 2010, Firefox had an estimated 32% market share, only to see that reduce to 3% in 2024.

Therefore, I would like to see The Browser Company supplement Arc development with a sustainable business model, whilst protecting against the pressure to develop/implement features that are shareholder-centric (self-serving, not customer-serving).

This is where I believe an enterprise business opportunity has potential. For example, the majority of Fortune 500 enterprise businesses have a heavy reliance on Software-as-a-Service (e.g., Office 365, ServiceNow, Workday, Salesforce.com), which are commonly accessed via the browser. Arguably, the browser is the most important enterprise business application, maybe more important than the underlying operating system.

Therefore, if specific features can be developed that target security, compliance, and centralised management, I feel there is the potential for Arc to become the “default” browser for enterprise businesses, reducing the reliance on Google and Microsoft.

These features would not be “core” to Arc, but instead offered as modules and/or optional add-ons. Therefore they would not impact the consumer experience and/or the integrity of the foundational codebase. They could also be developed by a dedicated business development team, delivering a clear separation of concerns.

Specific enterprise business features could include:

  • Centralised Management (Configuration Toggles, Sidebar/Spaces Customisation, Extensions Management, etc.)
  • Specific Security Controls (Trusted Sites, Force HTTPS, etc.)
  • Azure AD Integration with FIDO2 Compatibility (SSO Management, etc.)
  • Block Lists (Sites, Downloads, etc.)
  • Ability to Disable Arc Features (Easels, Notes, Boosts, Max, etc.)
  • Max Integration with a Private LLM (Azure OpenAI, Google Vertex AI, etc.)
  • Private Boost Store (Library of Enterprise Approved Boosts)
  • Custom Branding (Business Logo, Colours, Icons, etc.)
  • Cross Platform Support (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, Android, etc.)
  • Encrypted Sessions (Tunnelling) and Integration with SASE Solutions
  • Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Controls

These features would be compelling to most enterprise businesses, as they would improve security and compliance, whilst also enhancing the user experience and prompting agnostic endpoints (decoupling from the underlying operating system).

It is also a viable monetisation strategy, as we know enterprise businesses are accepting of pay-per-user subscriptions (assuming the right price point). With millions of users as the target audience, The Browser Company would only need to secure a small number of strategic partnerships to provide a robust, reoccurring revenue stream that should please investors.

This would allow the core development team to stay focused on customer-centric features that further enhance/enrich the product, hopefully resulting in greater scale, etc.

It should be noted that browsers with a focus on enterprise businesses do already exist (e.g., Talon). However, they are usually generic copies of Google Chrome, that fail to offer any additional user benefits. This is a major barrier, as enterprise business users are still users and ultimately desire products that enhance their productivity, etc. This is where Arc is different, as it has a unique and compelling value proposition regarding user experience.

software web_browser browser the_browser_company_of_new_york the_browser_company arc arc_broaser chrome firefox safari edge opera brave librewolf talon microsoft google security information_security cybersecurity enterprise lifeinwork