The artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has made an offer to acquire the Google Chrome browser for $34.5 billion. This move is aimed at weakening Google’s dominance in the internet search sector, especially in light of the ongoing antitrust review in the United States.
This is reported by Finway
Potential Deal and Funding
The proposed amount significantly exceeds the market valuation of the startup Perplexity, which is around $18 billion. The company claims to have received full support from several leading venture investors who are ready to finance the deal. Current market valuations for Chrome range from $20 billion to $50 billion. Meanwhile, representatives from Google have refrained from commenting on this proposal.
Background and Market Reaction
Perplexity’s initiative comes against the backdrop of a federal court case in the U.S., where Judge Amit Mehta is considering the possibility of compelling Google to sell Chrome as a means of reducing its monopolistic influence in the search engine market. Last year, the judge found that Google had illegally monopolized this market, and a final decision on appropriate measures is expected soon.
In a letter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Perplexity stated that its proposal “is intended to meet antitrust requirements in the best interest of the public by transferring Chrome to a capable and independent operator.”
If the deal goes through, Perplexity promises to keep Google’s search engine as the default in Chrome and to support the open-source Chromium project, which serves as the foundation for Chrome and other browsers. At the same time, the company guarantees users the ability to change their search engine settings.
Analysts are skeptical about the likelihood of the court forcing Google to sell Chrome. However, during the hearings, Judge Mehta noted that such a move could be “a bit cleaner and more refined” compared to other potential solutions for enhancing competition in the market.
It is worth noting that previously, OpenAI also expressed interest in a potential acquisition of Chrome, as it seeks to strengthen its position among leading industry players.
Currently, approximately 3.5 billion people worldwide use the Chrome browser, which holds over 60% of the global market share. At the same time, Google warns that a forced sale or transfer of confidential data to competitors could negatively impact technological development and create additional risks for user security.