The news: AI-powered search startup Perplexity, valued at roughly $18 billion, made an unsolicited all-cash offer of $34.5 billion to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, per CNBC and Reuters. The bid lands as a US federal judge considers whether Google must divest Chrome after an antitrust ruling found the company unlawfully maintained search market dominance.
Perplexity says it would keep Chromium—Google’s open-source browser codebase used by many rivals—open, retain Google as Chrome’s default search engine, and invest $3 billion in Chrome and Chromium over two years. While Chrome isn’t officially for sale, the startup claims it has secured investor commitments to fully fund the deal. Industry analysts estimate Chrome’s value at between $20 billion and $50 billion.
Key stat: Chrome commands two-thirds of global browser share and reaches over 3 billion users—a distribution advantage unmatched in digital media.
Power play or PR? Browsers have evolved beyond simple web portals to become gateways for data collection, default search activity, and integrated AI tools. Controlling that “front door” to the internet could help Perplexity accelerate adoption of its AI search technology.
- The offer also positions Perplexity in the middle of a high-profile regulatory fight, presenting it as a credible, ready operator should a court-ordered Chrome spin-off occur.
- Even without a sale, the bid boosts the startup’s visibility with regulators, investors, and consumers—and puts public pressure on Google by signaling there’s at least one prepared buyer outside the Alphabet ecosystem, though OpenAI did previously express interest.
Our take: A sale without a court mandate is highly unlikely—Chrome is deeply tied to Google’s ad revenues, data collection, and search dominance. But Perplexity’s offer is as much about brand positioning as acquisition. By tying itself to one of tech’s most widely used products, the startup has landed in global headlines alongside Google at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising.
It’s a calculated publicity play: If Chrome is ever forced to market, Perplexity is now a “serious” bidder. If not, the startup has still claimed a spot in the public imagination as an ambitious AI search challenger.
The move also highlights a growing reality for AI competition—ownership of distribution channels like browsers may soon rival model quality in shaping who wins the search wars.