Perplexity Floats $34.5 Billion Bid for Google Chrome—Here’s Why Everyone’s Talking About It

Quick Summary (Start Here)

Imagine a scrappy AI startup worth around $18 billion offering $34.5 billion in cold, hard cash to buy one of the most powerful browser brands in the world—Google Chrome. That’s what happened this week. Perplexity, a three-year-old AI search company, sent this unsolicited proposal to Google. The context? A U.S. antitrust case is brewing, with a judge potentially forcing Google to sell Chrome. The offer includes keeping Chromium open-source, retaining Google as the default search engine, and pledging $3 billion more into Chrome’s development over the next two years. It’s bold. It’s unlikely. But it’s also genius.

It All Started with a Courtcase and a Crazy Idea

Let’s talk timing. This comes right as a federal judge is weighing remedies after ruling Google illegally monopolizes the search market. The Justice Department is asking for Chrome to be divested. Enter Perplexity, dropping a clear signal: “We’re standing by to buy, preserve, and innovate.”

Perplexity’s offer is unusual, but strategic:

• It conveys readiness aligned with regulatory needs.
• It implies public interest—keeping standards, user privacy, transparency, and open-source values intact.
• And yes, it’s a creative way to grab headlines and reshape how people talk about AI and browsers.

Who Is Perplexity, Exactly?

Perplexity AI is no newbie. Launched in 2022 in San Francisco, by 2025 the company hit an $18 billion valuation. It powers conversational search using LLMs and has launched Comet, an AI-infused browser built on Chromium components. Its growth is crisp: over 30 million queries per day recently, and a reputation for cutting-edge user experience.

Still, offering nearly double its valuation to buy Chrome? That’s wild—even for Reddit speculative talk.
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The Offer’s Core — What’s in It

Perplexity didn’t just toss a dollar figure at Google. The offer includes tangible commitments:

• $3 billion investment over two years into Chrome and the underlying Chromium project.
• A promise to make no secret tweaks to Chrome’s core code, preserving integrity and user trust.
• Guarantee that Google remains the default search engine—until a user opts for something else.

This is not a takeover cowboy ride—it’s more like proposing a partnership that aligns with regulatory fixes.

Chrome’s Price Tag—Is $34.5 Billion Too Little or Too Much?

Valuation estimates for Chrome vary wildly—from $20 billion to upwards of $50 billion. One analyst from DuckDuckGo suggested it might command the upper end if forced into sale. So Perplexity’s number lands in the middle—credible enough to signal seriousness, lean enough to not overcommit.

Google’s counter is simple: they aren’t selling. CEO Sundar Pichai insists Chrome is central to their AI future, and divesting it risks innovation and user security.
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The Practical Realities—Can This Deal Actually Happen?

Let’s be honest—it’s a long shot. Google can appeal the court ruling, delaying any forced sale for potentially years. Plus, countless regulatory hurdles stand in the way. But even if the deal fails, Perplexity now has public recognition, strategic visibility, and a powerful narrative for its future in AI.

Why Everyone’s Watching

• Regulators see an example: This is the kind of external candidate they’d prefer for Chrome stewardship—open, transparent, and pro-competition.
• Competitors are shuffling: OpenAI and Yahoo both expressed earlier interest. Now they’ve been outmaneuvered for headlines—with the risk flashed on national news.
• Developers care: Chromium underpins Edge, Opera, Brave, and many others. A sale to Perplexity could ripple across the browser ecosystem.

FAQ: Your Top Questions Answered

What to Watch Next

1. Judge Mehta’s ruling—likely decision in weeks, not months.
2. Google’s appeal play—will they push hard or negotiate?
3. Tech landscape reaction—will others jump in with counteroffers or statements?
4. Perplexity’s funding reveal—investor confidence or doubt will tell the story.

Final Thought

Whether this offer precedes history or fades as bold theater, one truth is clear: Perplexity just made the biggest conversation about browsers and antitrust in years. It proves that even startups can move mountains—or at least get people to look up. And in the fast-evolving world of AI, sometimes that’s half the battle.