Perplexity AI, the fastest-growing AI startup, has marked one of the most ambitious takeover attempts in recent years by offering a staggering $34.5 billion in cash to buy Google Chrome. Led by Indian-origin CEO Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity AI is eyeing Chrome’s massive base of over three billion users in order to rival giants like OpenAI. This move comes at a time when Google is facing a backlash and scrutiny in the United States.
Perplexity AI’s proposal far exceeds its own $14 billion valuation, and hence, it highlights the company’s ambition to challenge major giants like OpenAI in the AI-driven search space.
Why Perplexity AI Wants to Acquire Google Chrome
To recall, Google Chrome, one of the most popular web browsers, is facing regulatory scrutiny in the United States. The U.S.A.’s court recently ruled that Google holds an unlawful monopoly in online search. This led to prompting the US Justice Department to consider remedies. One of the high-stakes and one that can negatively impact Google’s monopoly is forcing it to sell Chrome. While Google has hinted that it has no plan to sell the browser, the legal outcome has opened a window for other companies to express their interest in buying Google Chrome.
Where Perplexity Stands in its Acquisition Pitch for Google Chrome
Perplexity’s proposal is focused on the three main commitments in acquiring Google Chrome:
- The first is that Perplexity will keep Chrome open-source.
- It will invest $3 billion into the browser over the next two years.
- And third, it will maintain Chrome’s default search settings.
All three proposals will help in protecting user choice while easing competition concerns.
Other than Perplexity AI, there are some more potential buyers who are interested in buying Google Chrome, including OpenAI, Yahoo, and Apollo Global Management.
Notably, DuckDuckGo’s CEO has estimated the browser’s worth at no less than $50 billion, which is significantly above Perplexity’s offer.
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