San Francisco-based AI startup Perplexity has made a surprising move by offering $34.5 billion to buy Google’s Chrome browser amid current antitrust scrutiny of the tech giant.
Perplexity, known for its AI-powered search technology, announced its unsolicited offer to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, hoping to get ahead of a potential government order that could force Google to divest Chrome. This bold proposal came as a result of the federal antitrust cases accusing Google of monopolizing the internet search market.
The United States government is considering strong measures like forcing Google to sell Chrome and licensing out search data to competitors to break Google’s grip on the market. While Google plans to appeal the ruling and negotiate softer fixes, these efforts could take years.
Industry experts are cautious. Some say the $34.5 billion bid seriously undervalues Chrome, which could be worth almost three times that amount. They also warn that splitting Chrome from Google could harm user experience and reliability.
Despite skepticism, Perplexity says it has strong financial backing from major investment funds and recently valued itself at $18 billion after raising $100 million. The startup plans to invest $3 billion over two years to grow Chrome and its open-source Chromium project.
Perplexity’s ambitions go beyond this offer, they are preparing to launch their own AI-powered browser called Comet. The company says it won’t make secret changes to Chrome if the deal happens and promises stability for users and advertisers.
Analysts like Colin Sebastian describe the offer as a “vast undervaluation” but acknowledge Perplexity’s serious intent and funding. Meanwhile, regulators’ decisions and Google’s responses remain uncertain.
