Perplexity wants Chrome. Here's why that could be great news for Google

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Perplexity AI has reportedly made a $34.5 billion offer to buy Google Chrome. On paper, that sounds wild: a fast‑growing AI startup pitching for the world's most used web browser. In practice, it reflects a larger regulatory moment where Big Tech platforms are being challenged on how they tie browsers, search, ads, and data together. Chrome is not just a desktop icon. It is the default gateway to the internet for hundreds of millions here, the primary route to UPI payments, government services, education portals, OTT, and vernacular news. Any ownership change, even as a hypothetical, touches everyday digital life in India.
Why Chrome is even part of this conversation
In the United States, a landmark antitrust case found Google maintained an illegal monopoly in search. The court is now weighing remedies, and one option pushed by the Department of Justice is unusually tough: separating Chrome and its open‑source base, Chromium, from Alphabet. Europe has already forced structural changes under the DMA, including unbundling defaults and offering choice screens. India, too, via the CCI's 2022 Android ruling, pressed Google to loosen how search, browser, and Play services are tied, which led to some changes on Android phones sold here. Put simply, regulators across regions are probing the same pattern: when a company controls the browser, the search defaults, the ad stack, and the app store, the flywheel becomes hard for rivals to crack and harder for consumers to exit.
Perplexity's reported bid slots into that global context. The company says it would keep the Chromium project healthy, which is essential because Chromium powers not just Chrome but also Microsoft Edge, Brave, Arc, and a long tail of Indian OEM browsers and in‑app web views. A credible steward must protect developer stability, security updates, and web standards. That is where the technical challenge lives. Chrome today is interlaced with Google layers like Safe Browsing, account sync, payments integration, autofill, WebView on Android, and privacy protections that ship on a tightly coordinated cadence. Unwinding or relicensing those parts without degrading safety or breaking websites is a non‑trivial job. Google argues this is precisely why a forced sale would harm users. Critics counter that concentration of control is the risk, and stewardship can be re‑architected.
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If divestiture were ever ordered, it would move slowly, with appeals and interim arrangements. For Indian users and developers, three practical questions would dominate. First, security cadence. Chrome's rapid patch cycle protects billions from fresh exploits. Any owner must match that tempo, or CERT‑In and enterprise CISOs will not be amused. Second, defaults and data. Choice screens for search and services could expand further, giving Indian brands, language‑first startups, and public platforms a fairer shot at the default slot without hacks. Third, Android's WebView and OEM builds. Indian smartphone makers rely on Chromium for in‑app browsing and updates. Continuity here is non‑negotiable, especially for BFSI, government apps, and education platforms that lean on web tech to scale across price tiers.
For now, this is a long shot. Google has shown no willingness to sell, and any remedy that drastic would be fought hard. The more immediate takeaway is strategic. AI‑native companies want a browser foothold because the browser is the front door to intent, context, and high‑frequency user sessions. That is where AI assistants live best. Whether Chrome changes hands or not, expect the browser to become the next battleground for AI overlays, summarisation, trusted shopping, and verified sources.