Historically, Microsoft's Bing has always played second fiddle to Google. Chances are that if you used it, it was because you fired up a Microsoft-made browser (Internet Explorer back in the day or Edge now) and either quickly replaced it or changed its default search engine to Google. With Microsoft diving right into the AI craze with its ChatGPT partnership, though, Bing experienced a small renaissance, and the company is riding that wave to make sure people actually start using Bing. One strategy? Microsoft might go after Firefox in an attempt to make Bing the browser's default search engine.

According to a report by The Information, Microsoft wants to bid to make Bing Firefox's default search engine. The browser's contract with Google is set to expire this year, at which point Mozilla could either renew it or switch to a different search engine. Microsoft would very much like to take Google's place in Firefox. It's not a guarantee that it will actually help boost Bing's usage — after all, Firefox users who don't want to use Bing could just switch to a different search engine, as Yahoo found out a few years ago — but Microsoft sees potential in such a deal.

The report also notes that there's also a potentially more juicy opportunity coming up for Microsoft if it really wants to get serious about pushing Bing. Apple's Safari browser, which is the main web browser on Apple devices, will have its Google contract expire next year. Despite throwing shade constantly, Google really benefits from the deal it currently has with Apple, and Microsoft could sweep in and try to get Bing to become the main browser on iPhones.

This, of course, is a big, big maybe, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. And if you ever tried to use Google as your search engine on Microsoft Edge, you already know how pushy the company can be.