Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas has offered a hefty $34.5 billion (over ₹3,02,152 crore) offer to acquire Google Chrome, that too in cash. Reuters reported the news on August 12, revealing some important details. Notably, this is an unsolicited bid, meaning Google didn’t ask for it, reflecting Perplexity’s strong interest in the acquisition.
Importantly, Perplexity’s valuation is $18 billion (according to CNBC), making the bid nearly twice its value. People might wonder where Aravind Srinivas would find the extra funds to fulfill the bid. And why is Perplexity interested in acquiring Google Chrome in the first place? And why risk the stakes for the bid? Learn more.
Why Is Perplexity AI Eyeing Google Chrome?
Before Perplexity, others have shown massive interest in Google Chrome, including OpenAI, Yahoo, and Apollo Global Management. The goal is quite clear. Perplexity aims to reach Google Chrome’s 3 billion users. If the deal ever happens, Perplexity could compete directly with OpenAI and other major players in the industry. Even though Perplexity already has its own AI browser, Comet, it’s still relatively new and not as widespread as Google Chrome.
Why Perplexity’s $34.5 Billion Offer Is Impossible?
Even if Google is ever forced to sell Google Chrome, the offer is an impossible one to take. According to DuckDuckGo’s CEO, Gabriel Weinberg, Google Chrome’s worth could be at least $50 billion. And Perplexity’s $34.5 billion is significantly short of that number.
Why Did Perplexity AI Make An Offer Now to Google?
Google faces significant legal issues in the U.S., as a federal judge stated that Google infringed Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act by maintaining an unfair monopoly in the search engine market. While the Department of Justice is pursuing the lawsuit, there is a chance that Google will sell Google Chrome, which is why Perplexity wants to seize the opportunity. Here’s what Perplexity intends to do:
- It wants to invest around $3 billion in Chrome in the next 2 years.
- It wants to keep Chrome’s code open-source, meaning anyone is free to use and build on the “Chromium.”
- It wants to keep Chrome’s default search engine settings the same (no changes), so Google Search will still remain the default.
- It wants to “preserve user choice” to reduce the monopoly concerns.
How can Perplexity Even Afford to Pay The Offered $34.5 Billion In Cash?
Understanding the timeline of Perplexity is essential. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of Perplexity (from Chennai and an IIT Madras alumnus), previously worked at Google and interned under AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio.
Later, he co-founded Perplexity (with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski)in San Francisco in 2022, and the company has recently gained attention. In India, the tool gained popularity after partnering with Bharti Airtel in May 2025. The deal gave 360 million Indian users a year-long free access to its Pro services. The brand is fairly new to amass such a large amount ($34.5 billion) in cash.
Reportedly, Perplexity raised around $1 billion from major investors like Nvidia and SoftBank. Additionally, Perplexity claims they have multiple investment funds that have shown interest in financing the entire $34.5 billion. Perplexity is reluctant to disclose further details on who is providing those funds.
Final Thoughts…
There are several impossibilities attached to the current scenario. Primarily, it’s doubtful that Google would sell Chrome as it’s a key part of their AI (“Overviews”). Likewise, it’s highly unlikely for Google to sell Chrome for $34.5 billion. What do you think? Will Perplexity rise and offer more than $50 billion (Google Chrome’s valuation), or will it remain just another bold bid?
Leave a Reply