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Perplexity AI, an $18 billion<\/a> startup<\/a> whose AI-powered search engine links out to original sources, just made an unsolicited offer to buy Google’s Chrome browser for $34.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal <\/i>was first to report<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the WSJ report, Perplexity said its offer to buy Chrome is “designed to satisfy an antitrust remedy in highest public interest by placing Chrome with a capable, independent operator.”<\/p>\n “Multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full,” Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said, per Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related: <\/b>Everyone Wants to Buy Google’s Chrome Browser \u2014 Including OpenAI, According to a Top ChatGPT Executive<\/a><\/p>\n Chrome could be valued anywhere between $20 to $50 billion according to analysts, but it isn’t exactly for sale. Google might not have a choice, though.<\/p>\n In August 2024, a federal judge ruled that Google illegally monopolized<\/a> the online search and search ads markets, writing in a 286-page opinion<\/a> that “Google is a monopolist, and it has acted as one to maintain its monopoly” through exclusive agreements.<\/p>\n One remedy suggested by the DOJ was for the tech giant to sell its Chrome browser<\/a>. A judge is expected to decide by the end of August what Alphabet must do.<\/p>\n Google is appealing part of the rulings<\/a> and has indicated they are not interested in selling Chrome. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a slew of potential buyers.<\/p>\n In April, a judge asked ChatGPT’s Head of Product Nick Turley<\/a> if OpenAI would try to buy Chrome if parent company Alphabet was forced to divest, and he said a definite yes.<\/p>\n Related: <\/b>Firefox Would Like to Remind Everyone It Exists and ‘Isn’t Backed By a Billionaire’<\/a><\/p>\n “Yes, we would, as would many other parties,” Turley said in court<\/a>, adding that ChatGPT and Chrome combined would give his company the chance to offer an “incredible experience” that’s “AI-first.”<\/p>\n Perplexity AI is based in San Francisco and was founded in 2022. The startup is preparing the wide release of its own browser, Comet<\/a>, though the company said it wouldn’t make any “stealth modifications” to Chrome if the deal went through.<\/p>\n Perplexity’s formal bid also said it would “extend offers to a substantial portion of Chrome talent.”<\/p>\n At press time, Google Chrome has around 68% of the web browser market share<\/a> (Safari is No. 2 with nearly 16%, Microsoft Edge has 5%, and Firefox has 2.5%).<\/p>\n Perplexity AI also submitted a bid of at least $50 billion to buy TikTok<\/a> in January, per CNBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference<\/a> to unlock strategies for scaling your <\/a>business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.<\/i><\/sup><\/p>\n Related: <\/b>A Big Tech CEO Just Quit to Be an Entrepreneur Again<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Perplexity AI, an $18 billion<\/a> startup<\/a> whose AI-powered search engine links out to original sources, just made an unsolicited offer to buy Google’s Chrome browser for $34.5 billion, the Wall Street Journal <\/i>was first to report<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to the WSJ report, Perplexity said its offer to buy Chrome is “designed to satisfy an antitrust remedy in highest public interest by placing Chrome with a capable, independent operator.”<\/p>\n “Multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full,” Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said, per Bloomberg<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n