AI startup Perplexity has been catching everyone’s attention and trending across major social media platforms with striking headlines. This buzz comes from its bold public bid to acquire the popular web browser Google Chrome for $34.5 billion.
The bigger question, however, is whether Google is actually selling Chrome and the answer remains no. Perplexity’s offer comes in the shadow of ongoing antitrust pressure on the tech giant. Regulators have accused Google of unlawfully protecting its search monopoly, including paying massive sums to remain the default search engine on browsers and devices. A U.S. federal judge is expected to rule later this month, a decision that could even force Google to separate its search operations from the rest of its business.
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While Google’s attorney, John Schmidtlein, pointed out that more than 80% of Chrome users are based outside the United States, warning that a breakup could have worldwide repercussions. He argued that a stripped-down version of Chrome wouldn’t match the strength of the current browser and questioned who, if anyone, would truly benefit from such a move. Judge Mehta’s ruling, expected by the end of the month, could have far-reaching consequences for Google’s operations and its position in the market.
Perplexity’s bid is almost twice its own valuation of $14 billion. The three-year-old company, backed by big names like Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and chipmaker Nvidia is led by Aravind Srinivas, a former Google and OpenAI executive. Perplexity, which already offers its own AI-powered browser, also told Reuters that several investment funds have shown interest in financing the deal.
Speaking to the BBC, a Perplexity spokesperson said the offer represents an “important commitment to the open web, user choice, and continuity for everyone who has chosen Chrome.”
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On the other hand, tech investor Heath Ahrens said Perplexity’s bid as a “stunt, and nowhere near Chrome’s true value, given its unmatched data and reach.” He went on to say, “The offer isn’t serious, but if someone like Sam Altman or Elon Musk tripled it, they could genuinely secure dominance for their AI,” as per BBC.
But at the same time, he claims that “it positions Perplexity as a serious player overnight.” He says, he has seen this “exact pattern at Voice.ai.” He added, “Find the distribution bottleneck. Make a bold move that changes the narrative. Force incumbents to play defense. The best opportunities come from seeing these patterns others miss.”
Perplexity has quickly carved out its place in the generative AI arena, competing with heavyweights such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Just last month, the company expanded its reach with the launch of its own AI-driven browser, Comet.