"Perplexity" submits an unsolicited offer to buy "Google Chrome" for $34.5 billion

San Francisco — The emerging artificial intelligence company Perplexity announced that it has made an unsolicited formal offer to acquire the Chrome browser from Google for $34.5 billion, at a time when expectations are growing that U.S. antitrust authorities may force Google to sell the browser as part of a package of remedies targeting its dominance in the search market.

Perplexity said the offer letter was sent Tuesday morning to Google, owned by the Alphabet group. The move comes days after the leak of interest from a competing AI company in acquiring Chrome if it is decided to be separated from Google, given that it — along with the Chromium project — is the main gateway to the internet via personal computers.

Pressing legal context

A U.S. federal court ruled last year that Google engages in illegal monopoly practices in the search field, and the U.S. government proposed a package of changes, including selling Chrome and licensing search data to competitors to reduce dominance. Judge Amit Mehta is expected to issue his ruling in the coming days regarding binding remedies.

Questions about financing

The value of the offer raised questions about how the deal would be financed; Perplexity, headquartered in San Francisco, raised $100 million earlier this year and was valued at $18 billion. However, a senior company official confirmed that several large investment funds have agreed to fully finance the deal.

Record of unilateral offers

This is not the first time Perplexity has made a unilateral offer to buy a major technological asset; earlier this year it made an offer to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations from ByteDance, amid threats of a ban unless the deal was made with a U.S. entity.

What’s next?

Industry sources expect that any substantial move regarding Chrome will remain contingent on the court's decision and the details of the anticipated remedies. In the event of a breakup, several parties may compete for the browser, while Google will seek to maintain the integration of its core products and services during any potential transition process.