In a major development, AI startup Perplexity has offered $34.5 billion to acquire Google’s Chrome browser. This bold move comes as Google faces a potential forced sale of the browser as a remedy in its ongoing U.S. antitrust lawsuit. A federal judge has already ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on internet search, and a decision on remedies is expected soon.
Perplexity’s bid is a strategic effort to preempt a forced sale and secure a crucial piece of internet infrastructure. It also puts Perplexity in direct competition with rival OpenAI, which has also expressed interest in the browser. Despite concerns about its ability to finance the massive deal, Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, has stated that “multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full.”
To address user and regulatory concerns, Perplexity has promised to maintain the browser’s continuity and not introduce ” stealth modifications.” The offer is also structured to not include any equity in Perplexity, a detail intended to mitigate any antitrust issues related to the deal itself. Google has not yet responded to the unsolicited bid.
This isn’t the first time Perplexity has pursued a major online platform facing regulatory scrutiny; it previously made a bid to merge with TikTok’s U.S. operations. The interest in web browsers from AI companies stems from their utility as a platform for deploying AI agents. If the deal is approved, Perplexity has pledged to invest $3 billion into Chrome and Chromium over the next two years and to retain a significant portion of its existing workforce.