Josh Miller, the cofounder and CEO of The Browser Company has made a name for himself as a pioneer on the web browser front. Arc browser re-invented browsing by creating a beautiful, efficient application that puts most browsers to shame.
Especially Google Chrome.
Also: 5 ways Arc browser makes browsing the web fun again
In an interview with The Verge, Miller gives some insight into his background, "I was a political appointee in the Obama White House and after the 2016 election, I was personally devastated by the result. I felt like technology and the technology industry had an impact on the things I didn't like, and I was very motivated to try to do something about it," Miller explained.
His idea behind creating Arc developed from the original purpose of the web browser when the web was more than a publishing platform. That paradigm has obviously changed but most web browsers have not. Miller's reasoning for that lack of evolution is money. Most users aren't spending the majority of their time with content as much as they are working via their browser.
If you look at the Chrome browser today, it's not much different than it was in 2010 or 2020. Yes, there are new features and security enhancements, but the fundamental UI and workflows of Chrome have gone (mostly) unchanged.
Also: Arc's 'Air Traffic Control' is a great way to keep your browser organized
That doesn't mean Miller doesn't credit Google for making inroads in the tech space. As he says in the interview, "I think if there's one thing Chrome and the Chromium team specifically has done a fantastic job of is building an operating system or an application platform that developers love, generally speaking, and they make it more and more powerful." Miller adds, "Figma would not exist if it weren't for Google, Chrome, and Chromium making the web fantastic for application platforms."
However, what The Browser Company is doing differently is focusing on the individual and giving them tools that can do more than the de facto standard web browser. The company approaches this with the idea of "...what is broken, what is wrong with the way people use their browsers today, and can we invent a way to alleviate that problem?" To that end, The Browser Company created small features and ideas to help make working with the web browser more efficient.
Also: Why Arc is my browser of choice for using AI tools
The Browser Company has a very specific goal… to change the way people use the internet.
But why would one take on such a feat? Sure, Arc has the most beautiful UI of any browser on the market, but is that enough? Well, according to Miller, Arc is much more than a pretty face. Arc is far more functional than the likes of Chrome. Miller states a clear example when he mentions how restrictive other browsers are. In Arc, you can hit the Command+T keyboard shortcut and then type "new Notion document." Hit Enter and Arc creates that new document. With Chrome and Safari, Notion does not enjoy that level of functionality. Because of this, Miller likes to think of Arc as more of an operating system than just a browser.
I've been using Arc browser on MacOS (please, Mr. Miller, consider a Linux port) for over a year now and I have to say that everything the company hoped to achieve has been a resounding success. Although it took me a minute or two to understand what Arc browser was doing, once I understood, I found the browser to be exponentially better than any browser I've used to date.
Also: Why I love Arc browser's Shared Folders - and how they work
It is that good and gets better with every new release. At this point, I can't imagine going back to another browser on MacOS because Arc not only makes using a browser more fun but also makes so much sense.
I would highly recommend reading the entire interview transcript on The Verge (or listening to the audio) because it's quite enlightening. But even if you don't end up reading the interview, you should at least install Arc browser which is now available for Windows.