Perplexity offers Google $34.5 billion to buy the Chrome browser

Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has offered Google $34.5 billion to acquire the Chrome browser. This offer, formalized today, comes amid the possibility that the courts could force Alphabet, the search company's parent company, to sell part of its business after being convicted of monopoly. Perplexity has been trying for months to entice Google users to use AI to conduct their searches, and this move would be an unprecedented move to acquire that business.

OpenAI, another AI firm and owner of ChatGPT, has also expressed interest in acquiring Chrome. This browser, along with the open-source software Chromium, leads the global web browser market. Google has not negotiated this proposal and considers the US Department of Justice's request to the courts to force it to sell Chrome to be "a radical interventionist agenda."

Federal Judge Amit Mehta, who has overseen the case, is expected to issue a ruling in the coming days that outlines concrete steps to prevent the company from monopolizing the online search market, which could range from forcing it to share user data with competitors to forcing it to sell the browser .

Perplexity is betting an exorbitant amount with this offer. Last month, the company was valued at $18 billion in a funding round, almost half of what it proposes to pay for Chrome. The question is how it intends to finance such a transaction, should Google be forced to accept it. "Several large investment funds have agreed to fully finance the transaction," said Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity's commercial director.

This isn't the first time Perplexity has attempted to acquire a major digital firm in trouble with the US government. Earlier this year, it also submitted an offer to ByteDance, TikTok's parent company , to acquire its US business. For now, the short-form video social network is up in the air, with the possibility of being banned at any time if it doesn't close its sale to a US firm.

The web browser sector is under the spotlight of AI companies, which want to leverage data and constant user interactions to improve their online search and shopping tools . Perplexity, in particular, has indicated that it is preparing to launch a browser called Comet , which will incorporate an AI agent.

The company assured that it will not make any "stealth modifications" to Chrome to include AI . "This reflects our commitment to continuity and user choice, and will likely be seen as a positive for the stability of Google and its advertisers," the company spokesperson said.

If Alphabet accepts the offer, Perplexity said it will invest $3 billion over the next two years in Chrome and Chromium , and that it will "expand the offerings to a substantial portion of Chrome's talent." The company added that its proposal to Google does not include any stake in Perplexity, to avoid potential antitrust issues.