Perplexity Offers $34.5 Billion For Google Chrome

The AI startup Perplexity has proposed purchasing Google’s Chrome browser for $34.5 billion—above the company’s own valuation—this Tuesday. The unsolicited cash offer came just days before the judge’s ruling in Google’s antitrust case.

According to The New York Times, Perplexity’s CEO, Aravind Srinivas, sent a letter to Alphabet’s Chief Executive, Sundar Pichai, outlining the offer and suggesting it as a solution to the company’s ongoing antitrust issues.

Srinivas explained that the proposal was “designed to satisfy an antitrust remedy in the highest public interest by placing Chrome with a capable, independent operator.”

For months, Alphabet has been engaged in a legal battle with the government of the United States. The court has suggested that Alphabet may need to sell part of its business—such as the Android operating system or the Chrome browser—to address concerns over Google’s search monopoly.

Judge Amit Mehta is expected to issue a ruling in the U.S. District Court case in the coming days.

Perplexity’s $34.5 billion bid—despite the startup’s estimated valuation of around $18 billion—comes before Google has formally offered Chrome for sale and before the judge’s decision. The acquisition could help Perplexity leverage its AI technology in both the search engine and the emerging AI browsers market. The company recently launched Comet, its AI browser, which is currently available only to selected users.

A spokesperson from Perplexity, Jesse Dwyer, told the New York Times that investors had backed the potential offer and understood the business decision. Google has not commented on the proposal.

According to Reuters, it’s not the first time Perplexity has made a bold offer to a company facing U.S. legal pressure. In January, Srinivas submitted a merger proposal for TikTok, suggesting the creation of a new entity with multiple equity partners to address concerns over Chinese ownership.