On August 12, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI stunned the tech world by making a formal $34.5 billion offer to acquire Google Chrome, according to CNBC.
The proposed price far exceeds Perplexity’s current valuation, but the company claims it has secured backing from multiple major investors. In July, Perplexity was valued at $18 billion, up from $14 billion just a few months earlier following an extended funding round.
Perplexity is best known for its AI-powered search engine that delivers concise answers with direct links to original sources. Just last month, the company launched its own AI browser called Comet, signaling its ambition to broaden its product ecosystem.
The offer comes amid an intense battle for dominance in the generative AI sector, where giants like Meta and OpenAI are offering huge salaries and bonuses to lure top engineering talent. Big tech companies are investing tens of billions of dollars annually into AI infrastructure, while startups race to secure funding from venture capital firms, hedge funds, and corporate backers to cover hardware and staffing costs.
Earlier this year, Meta approached Perplexity about a potential acquisition, but the talks failed to produce a deal.
Perplexity’s bid for Chrome arrives as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has proposed that Google divest the browser as part of remedies following an antitrust lawsuit the company lost last year.
A federal judge ruled that Google illegally maintained its monopoly in the online search market – a core part of its business.
Google has pushed back, calling the DOJ’s proposal “an extreme interventionist agenda” and “unreasonably broad.” The company has yet to outline its business restructuring plans following the ruling.
Launched in 2008, Google Chrome is not only the world’s most widely used browser but also a key data source for Google’s advertising business. The DOJ has argued that removing Chrome from Google’s control would create a fairer playing field for competing search engines.
The Chrome proposal is not the first audacious step from Perplexity. In January, the startup submitted a merger proposal to TikTok, whose U.S. operations have faced uncertainty since 2024 when Congress passed a law requiring parent company ByteDance to divest or face a nationwide ban.
As of August 2025, Perplexity’s TikTok proposal has yet to materialize.
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