UW Students Launch AI Browser 'Meteor' via YC, Aim to Challenge Chrome
In a bold challenge to Google Chrome’s entrenched dominance, two University of Washington computer science students, Pranav Madhukar and Farhan Khan, have unveiled Meteor, an AI-powered web browser aiming to redefine online interaction. Launched this week from the prestigious Y Combinator Summer 2025 batch, Meteor is on a mission to become the “world’s most intelligent web browser,” leveraging what its co-founders call “agentic AI” to act as a personal assistant.
Madhukar, who previously spearheaded viral projects at the University of Washington and secured over $100,000 in university funding, and Khan, known for developing an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) that was 60 times faster than industry standards, have taken leave from their studies to pursue this ambitious venture. Their audacious goal? To “kill Chrome,” as Madhukar quipped, adding, “Or acquire it, for only $34.5 billion?” a playful nod to the recent Charter Communications acquisition of Cox Communications.
At the heart of Meteor’s innovation is its “agentic” nature. Unlike traditional browsers that merely display web pages, or even AI-enhanced browsers that offer summarization, an agentic browser embeds an AI agent capable of making decisions and performing complex tasks autonomously on a user’s behalf. Instead of endless clicking, filling forms, or manually hunting for information across tabs, users can simply instruct Meteor to complete a task, such as booking a flight, finding the cheapest hotel, or scheduling a meeting, and the browser will execute the multi-step process. This functionality is designed to combat “tab overload” and usher in a new era of automation, where the software actively works alongside its user.
Meteor’s capabilities extend beyond simple task automation. The browser allows users to “chat with any page” and integrates seamlessly with popular applications like Gmail, Google Calendar, and Twitter. A unique “purple cursor” visually indicates when the AI agent is actively working on a task, freeing the user to continue browsing in other tabs. Its intelligent search bar can discern between general queries, routing them to traditional search engines, and more specific requests, for which it will pull live information and provide a comprehensive overview. For in-depth research, a “deep research toggle” enables Meteor to generate expert-level reports.
Meteor enters a rapidly evolving landscape. While tech giants like Google and Microsoft are integrating AI into their browsers—Chrome with Gemini-powered summarization and “Project Mariner” automation, and Edge with Copilot—a new wave of AI-first browsers is emerging. Competitors in this nascent “agentic browser” race include Perplexity’s Comet, The Browser Company’s Dia (from the creators of Arc), and Opera Neon, all striving to redefine how users interact with the web through intelligent automation. Y Combinator’s decision to back Meteor underscores a broader trend in the venture capital world, with the accelerator actively seeking “full-stack AI companies” and “personal AI assistants” for its Summer 2025 batch.
The path to challenging Chrome’s market dominance, which has long held a commanding lead, is formidable. However, by building Meteor from scratch as an AI-native browser, Madhukar and Khan aim to offer a fundamentally different, more proactive online experience. Their endeavor represents a significant bet on the future of web interaction, where the browser evolves from a mere window to the internet into a truly intelligent, task-executing partner.