The young AI startup Perplexity AI yesterday placed an unprecedented bid to acquire Google Chrome. The all-cash offer of $34.5 billion comes amid increasing antitrust pressure on Google and is aimed at strengthening Perplexity's position in the search and browser market.

Perplexity — founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas among others and recently valued at approximately $18 billion — has submitted a proposal in which it promises that:

  • Chromium, the open-source core of Chrome, will remain open.
  • $3 billion will be invested within two years in further development of the browser.
  • Current default settings, including Google Search as the default search engine, will remain unchanged.

Although Google has officially stated that Chrome is not for sale, analysts expect the company will wage a lengthy legal battle to prevent a sale.

Antitrust pressure on Google

Google is facing increasing pressure from regulators worldwide. In the United States, a major antitrust case is underway in which the company is accused of unfair competitive practices, including monopolizing the search market and bundling Chrome with other Google services. U.S. prosecutors have openly suggested that a possible remedy could be for Google to divest components such as Chrome or Android.

Similar investigations are also being conducted in the European Union and India, with emphasis on Chrome's dominance (over 60% global market share) and how Google uses this market share to protect its advertising ecosystem. If these cases are decided against Google, the company could be legally forced to divest Chrome (or parts of it) — precisely the opening that Perplexity now appears to be exploiting.

By placing a bid right now, Perplexity positions itself as a credible alternative owner should a judge decide that Google must part with Chrome. Analysts therefore view the bid less as a serious acquisition deal and more as a strategic PR move that places Perplexity at the center of the international antitrust discussion.

Why this news matters

  • Strategic momentum: Perplexity cleverly capitalizes on the antitrust climate in the U.S. and EU, where forced sales are increasingly being mentioned as a scenario.
  • Brand strengthening: Even though the bid seems unrealistic given Perplexity's valuation and financing profile, it undeniably generates significant media attention and debate in the tech sector.
  • Future of browsing: Offers opportunities for AI integration directly into one of the world's most-used browsers — with potentially enormous impact on how users access information.