The artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has just launched a financial missile: an offer of $34.4 billion to acquire Google Chrome, the browser with over 3.5 billion users and 60% of the global market share. The amount offered is twice the valuation of Perplexity and comes just as a judge in the United States could force Google to sell its browser as an antitrust measure.
The proposal is backed by large investment funds and positions the startup as the favorite in a race that OpenAI had already attempted to enter this past April, also expressing interest in acquiring the browser should the Department of Justice (DOJ) mandate its sale. Google, for its part, insists that it does not intend to divest Chrome… unless compelled to do so by the courts.
Founded in 2022 in San Francisco, Perplexity is recognized for its AI-powered search engine, Comet, and has positioned itself as one of the most promising alternatives to OpenAI. Earlier this year, it raised $100 million in a funding round that valued the company at $18 billion, but it is now offering nearly double that amount for Chrome.
According to its Chief Commercial Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, the plan is fully financed by “several large investment funds” (whose identities have not been disclosed). The letter sent to Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, makes the objective clear: to place Chrome in the hands of an independent and capable operator, without altering the user experience. They have even promised to invest EUR 2.727 billion in Chrome and Chromium over the next two years and to retain a significant portion of the current team’s talent.
The offer is enticing, although it does not reach the highest valuation Chrome has achieved, according to various experts. It is also true that the amount, far from being definitive, is subject to a wide range of opinions. For example, at the end of last year, Mandeep Singh, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, estimated the company’s value at $20 billion, based on its dominant user base and its role within Google’s ecosystem. However, Gabriel Weinberg, CEO of DuckDuckGo, stated in an antitrust trial that Chrome could be worth up to $50 billion.
Months before this development, OpenAI had already revealed its interest in acquiring Chrome should Google be forced to sell it. Nick Turley, Head of Product of ChatGPT, confirmed this during the antitrust trial, although no specific amount was ever mentioned. The company sought to integrate Google’s search technology into ChatGPT, but the proposal was rejected. Turley argued that access to this data would substantially improve the product, as search is a fundamental component of its service.
The fact that Perplexity is now making a concrete and rather tempting offer is not only a strategic move but also a way to position itself ahead of OpenAI in future negotiations.
Chrome is not merely a browser: it is a central component of Google’s advertising and data ecosystem. Should it fall under the control of another operator:
Perplexity claims that it would not introduce “discreet” changes nor would it compromise the security or privacy of users, presenting the transaction as a benefit for both consumers and advertisers.
Google maintains that separating Chrome and Android from its infrastructure would harm security, increase costs, and negatively impact businesses relying on its platforms. It has also warned of potential risks to United States national security.
The company is preparing an appeal should the judge ultimately order the sale, but time is of the essence, and a final decision could be reached within a matter of weeks.
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