AI startup Perplexity has made a surprising move by offering $34.5 billion to buy Google’s Chrome browser. The bold proposal comes as Google faces the possibility of being forced to sell Chrome under ongoing US antitrust proceedings. Perplexity confirmed to Bloomberg that the unsolicited offer was sent to Google on Tuesday morning. The company plans to fund the deal with help from outside investors.
This comes shortly after another AI company, OpenAI, also showed interest in acquiring Chrome, which along with its open-source version Chromium, is one of the most popular ways people browse the internet on computers.
The bid follows a major legal challenge last year when a federal judge ruled that Google holds an illegal monopoly in online search. The US government has suggested remedies that include selling Chrome and allowing competitors access to its search data. Judge Amit Mehta, who heard the case, is expected to announce his decision on the remedies soon.
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San Francisco-based Perplexity has been positioning itself as an alternative to Google Search. Earlier this year, it raised $100 million in funding, which valued the company at $18 billion. This raises questions about how it could afford such a large acquisition.
“Multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full,” Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said. However, the company did not reveal the names of these investors.
This is not the first time Perplexity has made an offer for a major tech property facing regulatory challenges. Earlier this year, it proposed merging with TikTok’s US operations to avoid a possible ban in the country.
AI companies are showing growing interest in web browsers, seeing them as platforms where AI agents can help users with tasks like online shopping. Perplexity is already preparing to release a browser called Comet that features an AI agent, according to the report.
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The company promised it would not make any “stealth modifications” to Chrome if the deal goes through. It also said it would invest $3 billion in Chrome and Chromium over the next two years and hire many of Chrome’s current employees. Perplexity’s offer does not include giving Google any equity in its own company.