Perplexity, the AI-powered search startup, has stunned the tech industry with a $34.5 billion cash offer to acquire Google Chrome, despite not yet reaching 100 million monthly users.
The unsolicited bid arrives as the U.S. Department of Justice prepares to announce its remedy after finding Google guilty of illegally maintaining a search monopoly. While the timing is striking, many questions linger: Perplexity has refused to disclose its financial backers, and the offer far exceeds the company’s own fundraising history.
The move highlights Perplexity’s aggressive push for distribution. Though widely discussed in tech circles, the startup has struggled to gain mainstream adoption. Alongside this bid, Perplexity has previously explored acquiring the Brave browser and recently launched its own AI-driven browser, Comet.
Related: Perplexity AI Scraping Controversy: Cloudflare Says Bots Broke the Rules
Skeptics wonder whether the Chrome play is a serious takeover attempt or a high-profile stunt designed to grab attention. Meanwhile, industry observers point out that the deal, if real, could reshape competition in the search and browser markets already disrupted by generative AI.
