In a striking move, Perplexity AI, a fast-growing artificial intelligence startup, has submitted an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash bid to buy Google’s Chrome browser. This bold offer, revealed in mid-August 2025, surpasses Perplexity’s own estimated valuation, signaling the startup’s ambitious plans to secure Chrome’s massive user base as a springboard in the escalating AI search competition.Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, envisions transforming Chrome into an independent entity committed to enhancing user safety and preserving its open-source Chromium foundation. The proposal promises to keep Google as the default search engine on the browser, while maintaining user choice and investing $3 billion into Chrome’s platform over the next two years.
This offer coincides with mounting regulatory pressure on Google following antitrust rulings and calls for divestitures related to its search dominance.Despite the futuristic vision, industry analysts largely view the bid as unlikely to succeed, given Chrome’s critical position within Google’s ecosystem and the company’s firm stance against divestiture. Google has yet to respond publicly but plans to appeal any court rulings that might force such structural changes. Meanwhile, Perplexity continues to develop its own AI-driven browser, Comet, which offers innovative features such as instant content summarization and workflow automation standing as a direct competitor to the Chrome experience.This audacious attempt marks a new chapter in the battle for control over web search and browsing, with Perplexity positioning itself as a challenger to established giants like Google, OpenAI, and Meta. The legal
and market implications of this offer will unfold as regulators review antitrust cases and the tech landscape evolves rapidly in 2025.
Source: Al Jazeera reports that Perplexity AI has made a bold $34.5 billion unsolicited bid to acquire Google Chrome, intensifying antitrust scrutiny on Google.
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