Perplexity offers $34.5 billion to buy Google Chrome amid antitrust case

AI startup Perplexity has put forward a $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, according to The Wall Street Journal, in an attempt to compete directly with the tech giant’s dominance in web search.

The offer is almost double Perplexity’s own $18 billion valuation and is already backed in full by several major venture capital investors. Also, it comes just months after the San Francisco-based company released its own browser, called Comet, to a limited group of users.

The timing of the proposal is tied to an ongoing antitrust case against Google. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is considering whether to force Google to sell Chrome as part of a legal remedy after ruling last year that the company illegally monopolized the search market. Estimates of Chrome’s enterprise value range from $20 billion to $50 billion, and the court is expected to rule on potential remedies this month.

Judge considers remedies as Google pushes back

Perplexity has positioned the bid as an answer to the antitrust case, telling Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google parent Alphabet, that the offer is “designed to satisfy an antitrust remedy in the highest public interest by placing Chrome with a capable, independent operator.” By showing it is ready to take over Chrome, the company could be signaling to the judge that there is a viable buyer if a sale is ordered.

Google has shown no willingness to sell Chrome. In testimony earlier this year, Sundar told the judge that forcing the company to sell the browser or share its data with rivals would harm Google’s business, discourage future investments in technology, and create possible security risks. Chrome currently serves about 3.5 billion users worldwide and controls over 60% of the global browser market.

The Department of Justice began its case against Google in 2020, focusing on exclusive agreements that keep Google as the default search engine on devices and browsers. Judge Amit is also considering whether to stop Google from making those payments or require the company to share certain data with competitors. During hearings earlier this year, he questioned whether the rise of AI chatbots might already be reducing Google’s 90% market share in search.

Perplexity’s terms and ongoing legal battles

Founded in 2022, Perplexity has said it would keep Google as the default search engine in Chrome if it wins control of the browser, but users would be able to change that setting. The company also pledged to continue supporting Chromium, the open-source project that powers Chrome and other browsers. These terms appear designed to maintain Chrome’s current structure while moving it under independent ownership.

Perplexity’s offer comes while it is facing legal challenges of its own. Two subsidiaries of News Corp, the parent company of The Wall Street Journal, have filed lawsuits against the startup. Despite that, the company has secured commitments from backers to fund the full purchase price.

Google has argued for a narrower remedy in the antitrust case, proposing changes to its agreements with Apple, Mozilla, and Android partners to allow more competition, without selling any part of its business. The Big Tech company is now working on an appeal against the antitrust ruling, regardless of the outcome.

While analysts have suggested that forcing a sale of Chrome is unlikely, Judge Amit gave little indication of his leanings. During closing arguments earlier this year, he asked whether requiring Google to sell Chrome might be “a little cleaner and a little bit more elegant” than other remedies aimed at increasing competition in search.

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