AI start-up Perplexity has made a surprise $34.5 billion offer to buy Google Chrome. Google is the world’s most popular internet browser with more than three billion users. The bid was revealed in a letter to Google’s parent company Alphabet. In the letter Perplexity said Chrome would benefit from being run by an independent operator focused on user safety.
The BBC reported that Google has not announced any plans to sell Chrome. Google’s power in search and online ads is under heavy scrutiny.A US judge will rule this month on whether it should break up its search business. Google says it would appeal. It calls the idea of spinning off Chrome unprecedented and harmful to consumers and security.
Critics Call the Move a Stunt
Some industry experts believe Perplexity’s offer is far below Chrome’s actual value. Heath Ahrens, a technology investor, called it “a stunt” and said Chrome’s data and reach make it worth far more. Others estimate the browser could be worth up to ten times the bid.
Perplexity said it would keep Google as Chrome’s default search engine. It will allow users to change settings, and continue supporting Chromium, the open-source platform behind Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Opera. The company has not disclosed how it would fund the deal.
Perplexity is one of the rising players in generative AI, competing with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini. Last month, it launched its own AI-powered browser called Comet. Earlier this year, the firm also made headlines by offering to buy the US arm of TikTok.
