Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity has made headlines in August 2025 with an audacious $34.5-billion all-cash bid to acquire Google's Chrome browser. This unexpected move is particularly remarkable considering Perplexity’s own valuation hovers around $18 billion, just a fraction of the proposed bid. The company, led by CEO Aravind Srinivas, formally sent the offer to Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, framing the acquisition as a solution to antitrust concerns that currently cloud Google’s search monopoly. Chrome, the world’s top browser with over three billion users, has become a key prize in the broader race to dominate the AI-powered search and browsing space.

The timing of Perplexity’s proposal coincides with mounting regulatory pressure on Google in the United States. A federal judge found last year that Google was guilty of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online search, and regulators have since argued for remedies including the divestiture of Chrome. With Judge Amit Mehta expected to soon rule on specific corrective actions, Perplexity’s unsolicited offer seeks to position the startup as a ready and “capable independent operator,” potentially appeasing public interest and regulatory demands for greater market diversity.

Backing such a massive bid is no small feat for Perplexity, which has reportedly secured commitments from large investment funds and major investors, including SoftBank and Nvidia. Company officials have emphasized that the transaction would be fully financed externally, allowing Perplexity to undertake a $3-billion investment over two years to further develop Chrome’s infrastructure while pledging to maintain the browser’s core Chromium code as open source. These promises aim to address user and regulatory concerns around continuity, openness, and consumer protection, preventing ‘stealth modifications’ and guaranteeing stability for Chrome’s vast user base.

The bid also reflects fierce competition within the generative AI sector, as tech giants and startups alike vie for dominance in online search, digital advertising, and browser technology. Rivals such as Meta, OpenAI, and You.com are investing heavily to attract top AI talent and build out large language models for next-generation search tools. Perplexity, meanwhile, has recently launched its own AI-driven browser called Comet, further cementing its ambition to disrupt traditional internet navigation and leverage Chrome’s huge user scale to transform how the world accesses information in the AI era.