the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Silicon Valley, CA — In a bold move that could reshape the web browser market, AI startup Perplexity has made an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, which currently serves over 3 billion users worldwide.
The offer comes as a federal court weighs remedies against Google following a ruling last year that the tech giant holds an illegal monopoly in search and digital advertising. Potential actions under consideration include forcing Google to divest key assets like Chrome. A decision is expected later this month.
Details of Perplexity’s Proposal
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Acquisition Price: $34.5 billion (all cash)
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User Base Impact: Would instantly give Perplexity access to 3 billion Chrome users
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Investment Plan: $3 billion over two years for Chrome and Chromium development
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Commitments: Maintain Chromium as open source and keep Google Search as the default
Perplexity currently operates Comet, an AI-powered browser capable of performing tasks for users. Adding Chrome to its portfolio would dramatically expand its footprint and bolster its competitive position against AI browser projects from rivals like OpenAI.
Google, which is appealing the monopoly ruling, has shown no willingness to sell Chrome despite growing regulatory pressure.
Perplexity claims its **all-cash offer—backed by investors and exceeding its own $18 billion valuation—**is designed to minimize antitrust concerns while keeping the browser’s open-source foundation intact.
If accepted, this acquisition could mark one of the most significant shifts in the browser market since Chrome’s launch in 2008.
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