AI startup Perplexity has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, a bold move aimed at capitalizing on potential U.S. antitrust remedies that could force the search giant to divest the popular web tool, Bloomberg News reported.
The offer, sent to Alphabet Inc.’s Google on Tuesday morning, would be funded with backing from multiple large investment funds, according to Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko. He declined to name the firms but said financing for the deal had been fully secured.
The proposal comes as U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is expected to soon rule on remedies in a high-profile antitrust case, after finding last year that Google holds an illegal monopoly in internet search. Government proposals have included requiring Google to sell Chrome and license search data to rivals.
Chrome, along with its open-source sibling Chromium, dominates how users access the internet on desktop computers. Rival AI startup OpenAI has also expressed interest in acquiring the browser.
Perplexity, which earlier this year raised $100 million at an $18 billion valuation, told Bloomberg it would invest $3 billion into Chrome and Chromium over two years if the deal is approved, and offer jobs to a “substantial portion” of Chrome’s current staff. The company pledged not to make any “stealth modifications” to the browser, promising continuity for users and stability for advertisers.
This is not Perplexity’s first high-profile bid. The San Francisco-based firm, which offers an AI-powered search engine to compete with Google, previously proposed merging with TikTok’s U.S. operations amid looming regulatory threats to the video app’s future in America.
Perplexity is also preparing to launch its own AI-enabled browser, called Comet, that will integrate an AI agent capable of assisting with online tasks like shopping.
Google has yet to comment on the Chrome bid.
