Perplexity AI Stuns Tech World with $34.5B Bid for Google Chrome Amid Antitrust Storm
Perplexity, a three-year-old AI search company valued at around $14 billion, is making a leap far beyond its weight class. Known for its aggressive and unconventional tactics, the startup earlier this year made headlines by proposing a merger with TikTok's U.S. operations to address concerns over Chinese ownership. Now, the company has set its sights on Chrome's massive base of roughly three billion users—an audience that could catapult it into direct competition with AI heavyweights such as OpenAI.
The Antitrust Backdrop
The timing of Perplexity's offer is no coincidence. A U.S. court recently ruled that Google maintains an illegal monopoly in online search. The Department of Justice has floated the idea that a forced sale of Chrome could be one possible remedy to restore market competition. Google has vowed to appeal the ruling, maintaining that the search market remains competitive and showing no signs of willingly parting with Chrome. Any mandated sale would likely take years to navigate through the courts, possibly reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.
Funding and Pledges
While Perplexity has not disclosed detailed financing plans for the $34.5 billion bid, the company claims that several unnamed investment funds have offered to fully back the purchase. To date, Perplexity has raised approximately $1 billion from investors including Nvidia and SoftBank. A term sheet reviewed by Reuters outlines commitments to keep Chrome's open-source base, Chromium, freely available; invest $3 billion over two years; and retain Google's default search engine within Chrome. The company's pitch positions the deal as both a pro-competition moves and a way to protect user choice.
OpenAI and Other Suitors
Adding intrigue, Perplexity is not alone in eyeing Chrome. Earlier court testimony revealed that OpenAI and Yahoo have also expressed interest. In 2023, OpenAI sought access to Google's search API to enhance ChatGPT but was turned down over competitive concerns. Since then, OpenAI has leaned on Microsoft's Bing for search capabilities while acknowledging that it is still years from building a comprehensive search engine of its own. For both Perplexity and OpenAI, control of Chrome would mean direct access to billions of daily users.
Industry Skepticism, High Stakes
Analysts doubt Google would willingly let go of Chrome, given its central role in feeding search traffic and user data into Google's AI ecosystem. Chrome also underpins recent AI features like search 'Overviews.' Yet the Department of Justice argues that Google's dominance in both search and browser markets gives it an unfair edge in the AI arms race.
For now, Chrome remains firmly under Google's control, but with the antitrust trial's outcome looming, the world's biggest tech companies are watching closely. Whether this bid is a strategic bluff or a serious acquisition attempt, one thing is clear: Chrome's fate could redefine the balance of power in AI search.
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