Key Highlights:
- Perplexity bids $34.5B to acquire Google Chrome amid legal scrutiny.
- Proposal aims to address antitrust concerns with independent ownership.
- Chrome has 3.5B users; Perplexity promises to keep Google as default search.
Perplexity’s Bold Bid to Acquire Google Chrome
Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has made a $34.5 billion offer to buy Google’s Chrome browser as part of an effort to challenge Google’s dominance in internet search, The Wall Street Journal reported. The offer notably exceeds Perplexity’s own valuation of about $18 billion and is backed by several major venture capital firms that have agreed to fully fund the deal.
This move comes amid an ongoing US federal court case, where Judge Amit Mehta is considering whether to order Google to sell Chrome to reduce its monopoly power in the search market. Last year, the judge ruled that Google had unlawfully monopolized the market; a decision on potential remedies is expected soon.
Potential Impact and Market Reaction
In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Perplexity stated its proposal "is designed to satisfy antitrust concerns in the best public interest by moving Chrome to a wealthy, independent operator." The company pledged to continue supporting Chromium, the open-source project behind Chrome, and to keep Google as the default search engine while allowing customizable settings.
Google has warned that a forced sale or data transfer could harm its business, reduce innovation investment, and introduce security risks. Chrome currently dominates with about 3.5 billion users and holds over 60% of the global browser market share.
Analysts suggest it’s unlikely a judge will force Google to sell Chrome, though Judge Mehta remarked the sale might be “a little cleaner and more elegant” than other approaches to fostering competition.
