In a move that has shaken the tech world, Perplexity, the emerging artificial intelligence firm, has presented an unsolicited offer of $34.5 billion in cash to acquire the Google Chrome browser from its parent company, Alphabet. This figure far exceeds both Chrome’s estimated valuation and Perplexity’s own valuation, which stands at $18 billion.
The offer comes at a critical moment: a U.S. federal judge, Judge Amit Mehta, is currently considering a possible injunction that could force Alphabet to divest Chrome over antitrust concerns. According to statements, the company was not prompted by Alphabet to make the bid, but acted on its own initiative, backed by several investment funds whose identities have not yet been disclosed.
Perplexity has also stated that, if the acquisition goes through, it will keep the user experience intact, preserve Chromium as open-source software, and allocate $3 billion to improve infrastructure and expand the talent pool behind Chrome. This move is part of a broader strategy by the company, which has already launched its own browser, Comet, featuring a built-in AI assistant.
Why would Alphabet consider selling Chrome under an antitrust ruling?
Perplexity appears to be anticipating a potential legal order that could force Alphabet to break up its dominance in the web browsing market. Such a ruling might compel the company to sell key assets like Chrome to restore competition. Perplexity is positioning itself as the ideal buyer: financially capable, committed to open source, and with long-term investment plans that would ensure the product’s continuity for millions of users.