thoughts on arc's pivot

As a passionate user who has been using Arc browser since its launch in 2022, I find The Browser Company's pivot away from the new browsing experience that Arc provided somewhat disappointing. However, as a founder myself, I can't help but support their decision.

Sometimes founders must make bold choices for their company's survival and long-term future, even if it means disappointing some users. While Arc was beloved by passionate users, they didn't sell user data or open paid plans or affiliate advertising for user experience. Crucially, due to the nature of modern browsers, I believe most people will stick with Chrome regardless of how excellent and beautiful Arc may be.

While it's difficult to know The Browser Company's exact thinking, given that they haven't opened separate paid plans, I feel that rather than monetizing through Arc 2.0 renewal, they're asking the fundamental question of "what is a browser?" and starting fresh from there.

The core value of a browser is its interface connecting users to the web. And as we can glimpse through Anthropic's Computer Use, with improvements in foundational models' capabilities and expansion of plugin ecosystems, I think this interface can be enhanced in various ways beyond the traditional browser. It's about connecting people and the web without being bound by form, while maintaining the browser's essence.

While reimagining form while maintaining essence is challenging, I believe Arc can do it. If my speculation is correct, I have high expectations for Arc's decision to pivot in this direction, and as a founder, I feel it's a truly impressive decision. I feel that the Arc team truly values user experience.

I hope they'll share their vision of the world they wanted to create through regular roadmap updates. I'm looking forward to the next browser that the Arc team is building.