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On Tuesday, the AI company Perplexity announced a bold attempt to acquire the Google Chrome browser completely, as per a report. The firm, led by Aravind Srinivas, is reportedly offering Google $34.5 billion, which is approximately Rs. 3.02 lakh crore, for the rights to the most widely used web browser in the world. This amount exceeds Perplexity’s own estimated worth. This news comes in the midst of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit against Google’s parent company, Alphabet, which has been accused of having a monopoly on search. The pressure is growing for them to sell. A Bloomberg report states that Perplexity intends to cover the bid through outside investors. Still, the offer of $34.5 billion is said to be greater than what the AI startup is worth. Dmitry Shevelenko, the Chief Business Officer at Perplexity, told the publication that many large investment funds have agreed to fully support the deal. The last valuation for the AI company was $18 billion, or about Rs. 1.57 lakh crore, after it raised $100 million in a funding round in July.
In a comment made to TechCrunch, Perplexity seemed to verify the proposal. The company mentioned that its offer includes the assurance to maintain Chrome's main engine, known as Chromium, as open-source, along with a promise to invest an additional $3 billion, which is around Rs. 0.26 lakh crore. Moreover, the AI startup vowed not to alter the default settings for users if their bid succeeds. According to the report, Google will continue to be the default search engine in Chrome, rather than switching it to Perplexity’s AI-based search. It is still uncertain if Google is planning to sell the browser. Recently, the Alphabet company has faced criticism due to the antitrust case where the US Department of Justice claimed that Google made anti-competitive agreements with firms like Apple, ensuring its search engine is favored over others. Reports indicate that Google pays Apple over $15 billion, roughly Rs. 1.31 lakh crore, to keep its search engine as the default on Apple devices.
Following this ruling, it was reported that the US government is urging Google to sell the Chrome browser, while also requiring the company to share search data with competitors and cease exclusive payment deals with other services and devices. Interestingly, Perplexity has a browser named Comet that features AI agents capable of completing tasks on behalf of the user. The company has made ambitious claims about it, suggesting that it could eliminate recruiters by completing a week’s worth of work with just one command. A previous report indicated that Perplexity aims to reach “tens to hundreds of millions” of users by 2026 with its AI-based browser and is said to be negotiating with smartphone manufacturers to have the Comet browser pre-installed on their devices.
