The Browser Company has confirmed it’s no longer developing new features for the Arc browser, even as it reassures users that the browser itself isn’t going away. In a new blog post, CEO Josh Miller laid out the reasoning behind the decision — and hinted at what comes next as the company shifts its focus to its new AI-centric project, Dia.
Arc was a bold attempt to rethink what a web browser could be. Its clean design, organizational features, and forward-thinking UI won over a devoted user base. But while the browser won fans, it didn’t go fully mainstream. In fact, some of the reasons for the pivot — Arc’s complexity, performance instability, and slow adoption curve — have been on the company’s radar since October, according to Miller.
Why Not Just Build Dia Inside Arc?
The most pressing reason not to merge Arc and Dia, according to Miller, is security. Arc has already had at least one major vulnerability. Last year, a researcher uncovered a bug that allowed attackers to inject arbitrary code into users’ sessions — simply by knowing their user ID. The Browser Company patched the issue quickly, but it exposed the risks of building on a custom browser infrastructure.
Now, with the company pushing deeper into AI agents — tools designed to autonomously carry out tasks — security concerns are even more front and center. To meet that challenge, The Browser Company has grown its security team from one to five engineers, reflecting its renewed focus on safeguarding users in the age of AI-enhanced browsing.
So, What Happens to Arc Now?
For loyal Arc users, here’s what to expect:
- Arc isn’t being shut down
- It will continue to receive bug fixes and security updates
- It will stay in sync with Chromium base updates
- But there will be no new features
That said, don’t expect The Browser Company to open-source Arc either. Despite calls from users to keep the browser alive through community development, Miller says that Arc shares underlying infrastructure with Dia, and opening the code could expose the company or its shareholders to risk. He didn’t rule it out entirely, though, suggesting the team might open things up once it’s safe to do so.
This shift marks a major turning point in the evolution of the browser market. With Arc development paused and Dia positioned as the next-gen AI-first browsing platform, The Browser Company is clearly betting on AI to redefine how users interact with the web.
Still, questions remain. When The Verge asked if the new, larger security team would also maintain Arc’s long-term security, the company didn’t immediately respond. It’s unclear whether Arc will see active hardening against future threats or simply coast on Chromium’s built-in protections.
For now, if you’re a happy Arc user, you can keep using the browser — just don’t expect it to evolve further. And if you’re curious about what AI-native browsers might look like, Dia is where the innovation is moving next.
