Perplexity, an AI search startup valued at around $18 billion, has put forward an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser. The move comes amid growing pressure from U.S. antitrust regulators, who are considering ordering Google to divest Chrome as a remedy for violating competition laws.
In its offer, Perplexity promises to keep Chrome’s underlying open-source engine, Chromium, open, retain Google as the default search engine (with the option for users to change it), and invest $3 billion over two years to support the browser’s continuous development and infrastructure.
However, analysts warn that Chrome could be valued much higher, some estimate its worth at over $50 billion, outpacing Perplexity’s offer. They also note that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has not publicly commented and likely sees the bid as unlikely to succeed.
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