Perplexity proposes to buy Chrome ahead of a potential U.S. antitrust order forcing Google to sell the browser.
Startup says multiple investment funds will fully finance the $34.5 billion offer.
Plans include $3 billion investment in Chrome and retaining much of its talent if deal goes through.
AI startup Perplexity has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, a bold move aimed at getting ahead of a possible U.S. antitrust requirement that could force Google to divest the web browser. The bid, sent to Alphabet Inc.’s Google on Tuesday, comes just days before a federal judge is expected to issue remedies in a landmark antitrust case targeting Google’s search dominance.
Perplexity — valued at $18 billion after a recent $100 million funding round — said the purchase would be fully financed by multiple unnamed large investment funds. The San Francisco-based company has been positioning itself as an AI-powered alternative to Google Search, and earlier this year made a similar preemptive bid for TikTok’s U.S. operations amid a potential ban.
If the Chrome deal is approved, Perplexity said it would commit $3 billion over two years to develop Chrome and its open-source Chromium base, while extending offers to a “substantial portion” of Chrome’s current team. The company also pledged not to make “stealth modifications,” emphasizing continuity for users and advertisers. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Google did not immediately comment on the offer.