Indian-origin man offers over ₹3302152 crore to Google just to buy…
The company, which has raised around $1 billion from investors including Nvidia and SoftBank, was last valued at $14 billion. It claims multiple funds have offered to finance the deal in full, though no names were disclosed.
Mobile finder: iPhone 17 Air expected to debut next month
The bid comes amid regulatory pressure on Google, with the US Justice Department seeking remedies to address what a court ruled was an unlawful monopoly in online search. One proposed measure includes forcing Google to divest Chrome. Google has said it plans to appeal and has not indicated any intention to sell the browser. Analysts expect a legal process, if initiated, could take years and may reach the Supreme Court.
Perplexity's proposal pledges to:
-Keep Chrome's underlying Chromium code open-source
-Invest $3 billion over two years in the browser
-Retain Chrome's default search engine settings
The company says its plan would 'preserve user choice' and reduce competition concerns. Rivals such as OpenAI, Yahoo, and Apollo Global Management have also shown interest in Chrome, while DuckDuckGo's CEO has estimated its potential forced-sale value at no less than $50 billion.
Founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas along with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski, Perplexity has grown rapidly with its conversational AI search engine, which delivers cited answers in real time. The company recently launched Comet, its own AI-powered browser, and says acquiring Chrome would allow it to access over three billion users worldwide — significantly boosting its ability to compete with OpenAI and others in the AI-driven search space.
Srinivas, a Chennai-born IIT Madras graduate, previously worked at Google and interned under deep learning pioneer Yoshua Bengio before launching Perplexity in San Francisco. Under his leadership, the startup has expanded globally, including a partnership with Bharti Airtel in May 2025 that gave 360 million Indian users free access to Perplexity Pro.
Despite the high-profile bid, industry experts remain sceptical that Google would part with Chrome, which plays a central role in its AI strategy, including the rollout of AI-generated search summaries under the 'Overviews' feature.
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India is all set to celebrate its 79th Independence Day this year. The journey of the rupee has reflected the evolution of the country – its history, culture, tradition and economy. Let's take a closer look The journey of the rupee has reflected the evolution of India – its history, culture, tradition and economy. Reuters India is all set to celebrate its 79th Independence Day this year. As the years have gone by, so has the mighty Indian rupee changed with the passage of time. The journey of the rupee has reflected the evolution of the country – its history, culture, tradition and economy. Let's take a closer look at the history of the Indian rupee. The rupee in ancient times The word rupee comes from the Sanskrit word rūpya (wrought silver). The rupee is mentioned in ancient texts, including those of Panini, a Sanskrit writer in the 5th Century BCE. Panini used the word rūpa to refer to a silver coin. Ancient Indian kingdoms in the 6th century also had their own forms of currency that were the forerunners of the rupee. The Mahajanapadas of Gandhara, Kuntala, Kuru, Panchala, Shakya, Surasena, and Saurashtra all issued their own currency. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While these were made of silver and had a set weight, they came in all shapes and sizes and with different. Coins from Saurashtra bore a humped bull, Dakshin Panchala stamped a Swastika, and Magadha went in for a variety of symbols. Chanakya, in his famed Arthashastra, mentions how the Mauryas under the great Emperor Chandragupta Maurya minted coins such as rupyarupa (silver) suvarnarupa (gold), tamararupa (copper) and sisarupa (lead). Chanakya, in his famed Arthashastra, mentions how the Mauryas under the great Emperor Chandragupta Maurya minted coins like rupyarupa (silver). Wikimedia Commons It was Sher Shah Suri, after defeating Mughal emperor Humayun, who standardised the rupiya. Suri, during his reign from 1540 to 1545, issued a silver coin weighing 11.5 grams. The name was kept out of respect for India's heritage. Though the British East India Company had already set up in India and even attempted to introduce the sterling pound, the rupiya's popularity remained unrivalled. Indeed the rupiya remained in circulation during the Mughal reigns, the era of the Marathas and in British India – a testament to Suri's organisational skills and the enduring power of the currency. By 1671, the British East India Company had given in. It began minting coins in the local style – using the rupiya. However, the value of the currency was not standard across India – which naturally created problems. In British India and more modern times It took till 1835 for the law to standardise the minting of the rupee. This came after the British colonial government passed the Paper Currency Act of 1861. Each rupee was split into 16 annas, which in turn were split into four pice (paise) each. So, one rupee equated to around 64 pice (paise). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India continued to use silver and gold as currency till the 18th Century. However, the influx of European trading firms and the establishment of the banks resulted in the first paper currency being printed. The Bank of Hindostan (1770– 1832) in Calcutta, the General Bank of Bengal and Bihar (1773–75), and Bengal Bank (1784–91), all issued their own forms of paper currency. This is when the use of paper notes rather than coins began taking hold. The British colonial government forbade private banks from issuing their own currency. The Bank of England would take over responsibility for printing all of India's currency notes for the next hundred years or so. It introduced paper notes in the denominations of Rs 10, Rs 20, Rs 50, Rs 100, and Rs 1,000. This currency, known as the 'Victoria Portrait' series, depicted a small image of the British Queen on the top left. However, the denomination could only be used in certain areas known as 'currency circles' – Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Rangoon, Kanpur, Lahore, and Karachi. These were unifaced, carried two language panels and were printed on hand-moulded paper. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This currency, known as the 'Victoria Portrait' series, depicted a small image of the British Queen on the top left. Wikimedia Commons In 1867, the Victoria Portrait series was withdrawn due to forgeries and replaced by the Underprint series. From 1903 to 1911, Rs 5, Rs 10, Rs 50 and Rs 100 were universalised. The British government then introduced the 'King's Portrait' series – beginning with George V in 1923. It was only in 1928 that India set up its first currency printing press in Nasik. In 1935, the Reserve Bank of India was established, which finally took responsibility for handling India's money. The RBI continued in much the same vein as the Bank of England. Its first currency note, a denomination of Rs 5, was issued three years later in 1938. It bore a portrait of King George VI. The RBI also introduced denominations of Rs 10, Rs 100, Rs 1,000 and Rs 10,000. It also reintroduced the Rs 1 note, which had been first brought out in 1917 due to the first World War and discontinued in 1926. In March 1943, the Rs 2 note would follow. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Post-Independence period After Independence, India found itself making a fresh start. However, it retained the currency and coins from the earlier period for a few years. At this time, 1 Rupee was 16 Annas, 1 Anna was 4 Pice and 1 Pice was 3 Pies. India kicked off its new series on August 15, 1950. There had been some arguments about Gandhiji's face replacing the King's. However, it was not to be. 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