Perplexity AI Bids US$34.5 Billion to Buy Google Chrome Browser

The AI startup Perplexity AI has submitted an unsolicited US$34.5 billion offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser. Perplexity confirms that venture capital investors have proposed to fund the transaction, which arises from an antitrust mandate.

The foundational justification for this move lies in a recent court ruling against Google and a subsequent proposal from the US Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ argues that a forced divestiture of Chrome is necessary to restore competition in the internet search market.

“To remedy these harms, the [Initial Proposed Final Judgment] requires Google to divest Chrome, which will permanently stop Google’s control of this critical search access point and allow rival search engines the ability to access the browser that for many users is a gateway to the internet,” writes the DOJ in its proposal.

This offer follows the antitrust case that Google lost in 2024. A judge ruled that the corporation maintains an illegal monopoly in its core search market, and the DOJ proposed the sale of Chrome as a corrective measure.

The logic behind this recommendation is that Chrome, which Google launched in 2008, provides the corporation with a massive stream of user data. This data is critical to its targeted advertising business and creates a significant barrier to entry for competitors. According to reports from CNBC, Google has called the DOJ's proposal a "radical interventionist agenda" and "wildly overbroad" but has not yet detailed how it plans to adjust its business model following the ruling.

The offer amount of US$34.5 billion, originally reported by The Wall Street Journal, exceeds Perplexity’s most recent valuation, which was estimated at US$18 billion in July. However, the startup asserts it has secured commitments from several investors to support the transaction.

Perplexity, known for its conversational AI-powered search engine, recently launched the browser Comet. This ambitious move follows a previous proposal from Perplexity in January 2025 to merge with the video application TikTok. According to CNBC and The Wall Street Journal, Google has not issued an official response to the offer.