Vivaldi CEO explains his anti-AI stance: most users don’t want AI in the browser
Vivaldi users grew by up to 100% across Europe.
Jon Stephenson von Tetzchner. By Wikipedia/Illustration by Cybernews
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- Vivaldi’s CEO says most users do not want AI features built into their browser.
- Vivaldi reports 50% to 100% user growth across many European countries.
- The company says it does not collect user data and keeps data local or encrypted.
- Tetzchner says Vivaldi prefers human engineers to write code instead of relying on AI.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Jon von Tetzchner, CEO and founder of Vivaldi Technologies, refuses to integrate AI features in its browser and wants human engineers, not AI, to write its code.
I spoke to Tetzchner on the sidelines of the Web Summit in Lisbon, where we discussed an increasing interest in the privacy-focused Vivaldi browser amid growing disillusionment with the big tech and Europeans’ efforts to achieve digital sovereignty.
Tetzchner says in the last year, the number of Vivaldi users grew by between 50% and 100% across many European countries. The company also sees an increasing user base in Canada and the US.
Big tech isn’t safe anymore, and people are looking for alternatives, so they’re coming to us. I think people in the US are just as disgusted with big tech as just about everyone else,Jon von Tetzchner, CEO and founder of Vivaldi Technologies, tells Cybernews.
Vivaldi is marketed as a privacy-focused browser that doesn’t collect user data, which is either stored locally on the user’s device or is encrypted.
It also stands out from its competitors by its strict anti-AI stance, as it refuses to embed AI features, such as auto-summary, in the browser.
Tetzchner says the company asked its users whether they wanted added AI features, and the response was “no.”
He argues that most Vivaldi’s competitors are developed by ad companies, which use AI features to collect user data. Meanwhile, competitors that previously added AI to their products now market themselves as AI-free.
“I think this means that users don't like to be told what to do. They want their own agency. They want to be able to do what they want with their browser without AI agents getting in the way of it,” he says.
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“Not actively using AI”
Vivaldi integrates Proton VPN into its desktop browser. The Swiss company recently faced major public backlash after 404 Media reported that its CEO, Andy Yen, pressures engineers to use AI to write code, sparking security concerns among Proton users. Some swore they were canceling their Proton subscription.
Tetzchner told Cybernews that Proton is dealing with its AI-related issues, calling the situation “unfortunate.”
He claims that Vivaldi Technologies doesn’t actively use AI, and he would rather see its engineers write their own code.
“We don't want a situation where people are using AI to write code and don't understand what they've been doing,” he explains.
At the same time, the company has to address the cybersecurity risks posed by AI.
“It’s a brilliant business model to build a tool for hacking things, which makes everyone want to buy that tool so they could defend themselves,” Tetzchner says.
