Atlassian entered into an agreement to acquire The Browser Company, maker of the Dia and Arc browsers, for $610 million. Atlassian’s roadmap includes tailoring Dia to knowledge workers.
Atlassian and The Browser Company pursue ‘an AI browser for work’
The companies emphasized the importance of the browser as the central hub for modern knowledge workers, highlighting why this agreement makes sense.
“For laptop workers, your browser is where your job actually happens — where you spend hours working within tabs every day,” said Josh Miller, The Browser Company’s chief executive officer and co-founder, in a press release on Sept. 4. “That context, plus access to your tools, is incredibly valuable for AI.”
He added: “Teaming up means we can move faster, dream bigger, and focus on building an AI browser for work that people genuinely love to use — one that is trusted by companies but feels personal to every individual.”
The Browser Company, founded in 2019, built the Arc browser as a free tool that reimagines the internet experience by arranging tabs in customizable groups on a sidebar. Dia integrates an AI assistant directly into a browser.
What will the new Dia browser offer to professionals?
Atlassian Co-founder and CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes expects to use The Browser Company’s expertise to create “an AI-powered browser optimized for the many SaaS applications living in tabs,” he said in the press release.
Atlassian and The Browser Company said the new version of the Dia browser will:
- Integrate context from project management tools, other SaaS tools, or design apps into a knowledge worker’s browser.
- Use AI memory to connect the different tools that knowledge workers use.
- Strengthen security of enterprise workflows.
“By combining The Browser Company’s passion for building browsers people love with Atlassian’s deep expertise on how the world’s best teams operate, we have the opportunity to transform how work gets done in the AI era,” Cannon-Brookes wrote.
The sale offers business benefits for both companies
Over time, The Browser Company found that people were increasingly using the Arc browser more like a professional tool than a consumer product. Many users did not take advantage of the Arc browser’s most distinct features. With Atlassian, The Browser Company may be able to lean into the user behavior that saw the most success, the professional tool aspect, while benefiting from Atlassian’s experience in the enterprise space.
The Browser Company will also benefit from Atlassian’s customer base of 80% of the Fortune 500, Atlassian said. In turn, Atlassian will get a pre-built platform for connecting AI across browser tabs and integrating other SaaS applications.
The deal could lead to future integration between Dia and Atlassian’s project management software, Jira.
Some AI browsers are susceptible to malicious instructions, which can expose users’ passwords.
