Vivaldi's Leader Has a Bold Pledge: No AI in Your Web Browser
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner is the co-founder of Vivaldi, the most popular web browser committed to avoiding AI features. “If you find it useful, fine, then use it," Tetzchner, who also co-founded the Opera browser company in 1995, says of AI. "But we’re not going to force it on you.”
The Vivaldi browser, which Tetzchner says has roughly 4 million users and counting, promises to be powerful, personal, and private. “You can turn Vivaldi into almost anything,” he says, pointing to the recent Vivaldi 8.0 update focused on customization. “We try to adapt to people. It’s a design philosophy.” Tetzchner feels the company is applying that same design philosophy by barring AI features in its browser.
Vivaldi's strategy is likely helping it build and maintain an audience. Tetzchner says that Vivaldi's users respond with answers ranging from "no" to "hell no" when asked if they want AI browser features, with around 95% of users in agreement. I can't track Vivaldi’s growth independently because it reports itself as a generic Chromium browser for compatibility reasons, but the company’s announcement of a “huge inflow of new users” in early 2026 is promising.
Still, Google Chrome, with its 70% global market share, dwarfs Vivaldi. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use Vivaldi, however; Tetzchner offers some compelling reasons to switch.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/vivaldis-leader-has-a-bold-pledge-no-ai-in-your-web-browser
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