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Perplexity Makes $34.5B Unsolicited Offer to Acquire Google Chrome
August 12, 2025
In a bold and unexpected move, AI search engine Perplexity has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion cash offer to acquire Google Chrome, according to Reuters. The company confirmed the proposal and outlined its commitments if the deal were to go through.
Perplexity says it would keep Chrome’s underlying engine, Chromium, open source and invest $3 billion into the project. The company also pledged not to alter Chrome users’ default settings — including keeping Google as the default search engine rather than switching to its own AI-powered search.
The bid comes in the wake of a U.S. Department of Justice proposal in March that Google be forced to sell Chrome, following a court ruling that the company had acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search. Google has vowed to appeal the decision and fight the proposed remedies.
Perplexity’s spokesperson believes the court may set the sale terms as soon as this month. Chrome dominates the browser market with a 68% share, making it a highly valuable asset. Earlier this year, the CEO of rival search engine DuckDuckGo testified that Chrome could be worth “upwards of $50 billion.”
If accepted, Perplexity’s offer would represent a significant bargain compared to that estimate — but it’s also far more than the company’s own financial capacity. Perplexity has raised about $1.5 billion to date, including a $100 million extension round last month that valued the startup at $18 billion.
The AI search firm recently launched its own browser, Comet, as part of its expansion strategy, and last month also reportedly submitted a bid to merge with TikTok.
Google has not commented on the proposal.
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