Artificial intelligence search company Perplexity, valued at about $18 billion, has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, entering a potential bidding and regulatory battleground over one of the most widely used internet tools.
The approach follows a landmark US antitrust ruling last year that found Google’s search business violated competition laws. The US Justice Department has proposed forcing Google to sell Chrome as part of its remedy plan. Google has said it will appeal and has argued that a sale would harm security and user experience.
Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer confirmed the offer, first reported by The Wall Street Journal. He said that if the deal went through, Chrome users would keep their current settings, including Google as the default search engine.
Perplexity which has grown rapidly since its founding less than three years ago also pledged to maintain full support for Chrome for 100 months and to invest $3 billion in Chromium, the open-source platform underlying Chrome, over the next two years.
Founded less than three years ago, Perplexity operates an AI-powered search engine designed to summarise and link to web content. In July, it launched its own browser, Comet, which integrates calendars, browsing history, and social media feeds in an effort to provide more personalised results. Its $18 billion market value makes the Chrome bid worth nearly twice the company’s own size a bold move in an industry dominated by much larger rivals.
Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said the offer was “a smart and opportunistic move” given the ongoing regulatory scrutiny of Google. He estimated Chrome’s value at $50 billion, adding that the proposal could be part of a strategic push to influence regulators and competitors.
Google, worth nearly $2.5 trillion, has declined to comment on the bid. Alphabet shares rose about 1% on Tuesday after the news.
This is not Perplexity’s first attempt at acquiring a major platform. Earlier this year, it expressed interest in buying TikTok after US lawmakers passed legislation requiring the social media app’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, to divest it or face a nationwide ban. Reports have also linked Perplexity to potential takeover interest from larger technology firms including Meta and Apple, though no deals have materialised.
If successful, the Chrome acquisition would give Perplexity a foothold in the browser market and direct access to hundreds of millions of users worldwide. For now, the offer’s prospects remain uncertain, with Google resisting any forced sale and regulators yet to decide whether divestiture will be mandated.
