Perplexity AI just made one of the boldest moves in Silicon Valley history – an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid to buy Google’s Chrome browser.
The AI startup, best known for its AI-powered search engine, confirmed the offer on Tuesday, with CNBC verifying the deal details.
The proposed figure is almost double Perplexity’s own valuation, which stood at $18 billion in July after a valuation extension earlier in the year at $14 billion. But the company says several heavyweight investors are already on board to fund the massive purchase. Google, meanwhile, has stayed silent, offering no immediate comment. The Wall Street Journal first broke the news of the bid.
Perplexity has been rapidly climbing the AI ranks with its signature tool – a search engine that gives users straightforward answers and links to original sources. Just last month, the company launched Comet, its own AI-powered web browser, signaling it’s not afraid to go head-to-head with established tech giants. Now, with Chrome in its sights, the startup is positioning itself to compete at an even larger scale in the generative AI race, where rivals like Meta and OpenAI are fighting for top talent with eye-popping salaries and bonuses.
This bold move also comes in the wake of serious legal trouble for Google. Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice won an antitrust case against the search giant, with a judge ruling Google maintained an illegal monopoly in internet search. In the aftermath, the DOJ proposed a radical remedy – forcing Google to divest Chrome entirely. According to the agency, removing Chrome from Google’s grip would create a fairer playing field for search competitors and give rivals access to what they called a “critical search access point.”
Google blasted the DOJ’s plan, calling it a “radical interventionist agenda” and “wildly overbroad.” The company has yet to reveal its official response or strategy for complying with the ruling, but Perplexity’s timing suggests it’s ready to swoop in if Google’s hand is forced.
Chrome, first launched in 2008, has long been a data goldmine for Google, feeding the ad-targeting engine that fuels much of the company’s revenue. For Perplexity, owning Chrome would mean not only controlling a huge share of browser traffic but also gaining a strategic edge in its battle to grow its AI-powered search platform.
Interestingly, this isn’t Perplexity’s first high-profile swing. Earlier this year, the startup floated a proposal to merge with TikTok, whose U.S. future has been uncertain since 2024 when Congress passed a bill requiring its Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest. That plan never materialized, but it showed Perplexity’s appetite for big, risky moves.
With deep-pocketed backers, a shiny new browser in Comet, and a DOJ ruling potentially prying Chrome loose from Google, Perplexity’s $34.5 billion offer is more than just a moonshot. It’s a calculated gamble in a tech world where fortunes shift quickly – and one that could redefine the AI and browser market if it ever goes through.
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