Perplexity AI, led by CEO Aravind Srinivas and just three years old, has built a reputation for audacious plays. Earlier this year, it floated a merger with TikTok’s U.S. operations to address political concerns about Chinese ownership. Now, with an offer more than twice its own $14 billion valuation, the startup has set its sights on Chrome, the world’s most widely used browser. The acquisition would give Perplexity an instant user base and a powerful foothold in the fight against AI rivals like OpenAI.
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The Legal Backdrop and Antitrust Pressure
The bid arrives as Google faces mounting legal challenges in the United States over alleged monopolistic practices in online search. A recent U.S. court ruling found Google held an unlawful monopoly, and the Department of Justice has floated selling Chrome as one possible remedy. Google has signaled it will appeal and maintains the market is competitive. Analysts caution that any forced sale could take years and wind through the U.S. Supreme Court. Google has made no public indication that Chrome is for sale.
Funding Promises and Strategic Assurances
Perplexity has said unnamed investment funds are ready to finance the full $34.5 billion offer, though details remain scarce. The company has raised $1 billion from investors including Nvidia and SoftBank. According to a term sheet seen by Reuters, Perplexity pledged to keep Chrome’s open-source code, Chromium, freely available; invest $3 billion over two years; and make no changes to Chrome’s default search engine. The pitch casts the acquisition as a way to protect user choice and boost competition in the search market.
Rival Interest and the Road Ahead
Perplexity is not alone in eyeing Chrome. Court testimony earlier this year revealed that OpenAI, along with Yahoo, explored the possibility of buying the browser. In 2023, OpenAI approached Google for access to its search API for ChatGPT but was rebuffed. Owning Chrome could give any buyer direct access to billions of users and valuable search traffic, a major asset in training AI systems. Industry analysts remain skeptical that Google would willingly part with Chrome, given its central role in Google’s AI strategy. For now, the sale remains a long shot, but the bid underscores the high stakes in Big Tech’s race for AI dominance.
