Perplexity AI has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, moving to capitalize on mounting antitrust pressure that could force Alphabet to divest key assets. The bid, first reported by Variety, comes as the U.S. Department of Justice pursues structural remedies after a landmark ruling found Google guilty of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online search.
Perplexity, founded in 2022 and valued at over $3 billion, is backed by Jeff Bezos and NVIDIA. The startup aims to transform Chrome into an “AI-native” platform with integrated conversational search, challenging Google’s traditional link-based model. CEO Aravind Srinivas has argued that open-sourcing Chromium has already benefited the industry and believes AI-driven features could accelerate browser innovation.
Analysts, however, value Chrome at $80–100 billion, and Google has dismissed the bid as “undervalued” and ignoring Chrome’s integration with products like YouTube and Gmail. The DOJ has also scrutinized Google’s bundling of Chrome with search and YouTube, suggesting a divestiture could disrupt the tech giant’s data and advertising ecosystem.
If Perplexity were to acquire Chrome, it could experiment with AI-enhanced video search, posing a direct challenge to YouTube’s ad-driven model. Still, the deal faces steep hurdles: regulatory approval is uncertain, funding requirements would be massive, and competition authorities may question whether the transaction creates new concentrations of power in AI search.
Google’s shares fell 2% following the news, as investors weighed the risks of a breakup. With remedies hearings scheduled for September 2025 and a separate ad tech trial looming, the bid underscores how AI challengers are increasingly willing to target the core assets of Silicon Valley’s largest incumbents.
