Google Chrome at 17 – A history of our browser
September 15, 2025
I still remember the fall of 2008 when Google launched Chrome – a quirky new browser with a comic book as its press release. As someone who’s spent a long time on the Chrome team, I’ve watched this project grow from a secret skunkworks to a browser used by billions. Chrome turns 17 this week, and it feels like a good time to reflect on how far we’ve come in terms of Chrome’s guiding principles: speed, security, stability, and simplicity [1]. In this write-up, I’ll walk through Chrome’s origins and evolution across these pillars (as best I know them), highlight key milestones (from multi-process architecture to AI-powered features), and share a few behind-the-scenes tidbits along the way. It’s been an incredible journey – one driven by relentless performance improvements, cutting-edge security efforts, and an uncompromising focus on user experience. Let’s dive in!
Source: AddyOsmani.com – Google Chrome at 17 – A history of our browser
For many, even these days, experienced web developers, Chrome will feel like it’s always been with us. I still think of it as a relatively new browser, though it has just turned 17 years old.
Without Chrome, it’s hard to know exactly where the web would be, but it’s very unlikely that the platform would have the richness and sophistication that it does.
Here Addy Osmani looks at the history of this browser, and it’s well worth reading for anyone who develops for the web.
