Why Perplexity is going after Google Chrome – and yes, it’s serious

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Perplexity makes $34.5B bid to buy Google’s Chrome browser.
• Deal would give Perplexity a gateway to the AI-driven web.
• Perplexity’s bid could spark a bidding war.

When the Wall Street Journal broke the news that AI company Perplexity made an unsolicited all-cash offer of $34.5 billion to buy Google’s Chrome browser, some people asked me, “Are they serious?” Oh, yes, it is.

Also: 5 reasons why I still prefer Perplexity over every other AI chatbot 

In fact, I predicted Perplexity would try to buy the world’s most popular web browser in May.

The evidence was there

It’s not that I’m a genius. The evidence was already there. Perplexity, the AI-driven search startup, has shown interest in Chrome. Acquiring Chrome would provide Perplexity with a shortcut to user acquisition and enhance data collection for targeted advertising.

Even now, Perplexity’s own AI-enabled web browser, Comet, is built — like all web browsers except Firefox — on Chromium, Chrome’s open-source ancestor. It would give Perplexity a leg up on OpenAI, which has its own plans for an AI web browser.

Also: I used Perplexity to make a restaurant reservation – now I’m wondering if Google is holding us back

Perplexity has also made no secret of its desire to “out-Google” Google when it comes to search. As far as I’m concerned, Perplexity is a better search engine than Google.

True, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas had said earlier that “Chrome should remain within and continue to be run by Google,” but if the Department of Justice and the courts are going to force Google to get rid of Chrome anyway, well, what’s a CEO to do except make the best possible deal? As Srinivas said in the offer letter, the proposal is “designed to satisfy an antitrust remedy in highest public interest by placing Chrome with a capable, independent operator.”

Also: Perplexity is the AI tool Gemini wishes it could be

The federal judge handling the case, Amit Mehta, is expected to issue a ruling on remedies in the Google search antitrust case in August. He’s already put Google’s divesting of Chrome on the table. He’s also taken a hard line on Google, stating last year in his ruling that Google “is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly.”

Venture capital investors will back the bid

According to Reuters’ reporting: “Perplexity’s bid pledges to keep the underlying browser code called Chromium open source, invest $3 billion over two years, and make no changes to Chrome’s default search engine.”

This multibillion-dollar bid is nearly twice Perplexity’s own latest valuation. However, Perplexity has already stated that several major venture capital investors back its bid. While no names have been mentioned, Perplexity has substantial backing from Accel, Softbank, and Bessemer, and supporters such as Nvidia and Jeff Bezos. None of these entities would balk at a few billion here or there, especially for something as potentially valuable as Chrome.

Also: Perplexity says Cloudflare’s accusations of ‘stealth’ AI scraping are based on embarrassing errors

Besides, if you know your business history, this wouldn’t be the first time a small company bought a much bigger property. For example, Dell Technologies’ acquisition of EMC and subsequent reverse merger with VMware was a far larger deal at $67 billion.

Perplexity wants attention

Some experts have suggested Perplexity wants attention. Bloomberg managing editor Mark Gurman tweeted: “Google Chrome isn’t worth $35 billion, let alone $3.5 billion, without the Google user base. Browsers are completely commoditized, and their core tech is open source. Absolute head scratcher.”

Also: 5 reasons why I still prefer Perplexity over every other AI chatbot

Others, such as Alon Yamin, co-founder and CEO of Copyleaks, an AI-based content verification startup, said the deal makes perfect sense.

In an email, Yamin told ZDNET: “Perplexity AI’s $34.5 billion bid for Chrome is more than a bold acquisition attempt; it’s a signal that control over the browser is becoming one of the most valuable frontiers in the AI era. Whoever owns the gateway to the web holds immense influence over how information is accessed, prioritized, and trusted.”

Also: I tested ChatGPT’s Deep Research against Gemini, Perplexity, and Grok AI to see which is best

Google doesn’t want to sell Chrome and is appealing the antitrust decision. The courts, however, may not give it any choice in the matter. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

So, what happens next? 

I suspect that if others agree with Yamin, we may see a bidding war for Chrome. After all, ChatGPT’s head of product, Nick Turley, said in April that if Google were forced to sell Chrome, OpenAI would be interested.