AI Startup Perplexity’s $34.5 Billion Chrome Bid Sparks Debate Amid Google Antitrust Woes

AI startup Perplexity has made a surprising $34.5 billion offer to acquire Google Chrome, the world’s most popular web browser. This unsolicited bid comes as Google faces intense scrutiny and ongoing legal battles over its dominance in the search engine and online advertising markets.

While Google has not announced any plans to sell Chrome, and the BBC has reached out for comment, industry experts are largely skeptical of Perplexity’s offer. Technology investor Heath Ahrens dismissed the bid as a “stunt,” noting it’s far below Chrome’s estimated true value, which some suggest could be ten times higher. Tomasz Tunguz of Theory Ventures also questioned whether Google is even considering a sale.

Perplexity, a rising player in the generative AI space alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, stated its proposal signifies an “important commitment to the open web, user choice, and continuity for everyone who has chosen Chrome.” The company indicated it would maintain Google as Chrome’s default search engine while supporting the open-source Chromium platform.

The bid arrives as Google navigates significant legal challenges, with a US federal judge expected to issue a ruling this month in an antitrust case that could potentially lead to the breakup of its search business. Google has previously vowed to appeal any such ruling, calling the idea of spinning off Chrome an “unprecedented proposal” that would harm consumers and security.

Perplexity’s $34.5 billion offer significantly outstrips its own estimated value of $18 billion as of July. The company recently launched its AI-powered browser, Comet, last month, and earlier this year made headlines for its interest in acquiring the American operations of TikTok.

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