In one of the boldest acquisition offers in recent memory, Perplexity AI has announced a $34.5 billion cash proposal to purchase Google Chrome. The browser, used by more than three billion people worldwide, is a cornerstone of Google’s ecosystem.
CEO Aravind Srinivas outlined the company’s vision to keep Chrome’s core, Chromium, open-source while pledging billions in new feature development. Perplexity also committed to maintaining Google as Chrome’s default search engine, suggesting this is not an attempt to disrupt Chrome’s user experience but rather to evolve it with AI integration.
The offer lands at a critical moment, as the U.S. Department of Justice pursues an antitrust case against Google. If the court rules in favour of breaking up certain assets, Chrome could become a target for divestment.
Many experts doubt the offer’s feasibility, given Perplexity’s valuation is roughly half the bid amount. Still, the announcement has generated significant buzz, with some industry analysts calling it a “masterclass in PR” and others seeing it as a potential landmark in tech consolidation.