AI start-up Perplexity makes $34.5bn bid for Chrome browser
Perplexity AI has made an unsolicited, all-cash offer of $34.5 billion for Alphabet’s (parent company of Google) Chrome browser. That’s even more than the company itself is worth.
Perplexity, led by Aravind Srinivas, often floats ambitious proposals, such as the recent bid to merge with TikTok US.
By buying Chrome, Perplexity would gain access to more than 3 billion users, giving the start-up a significant edge in the competitive AI search market, especially now that regulators are scrutinising Google.
Alphabet has yet to respond to the offer. The company has not put Chrome up for sale and plans to appeal a US court ruling from last year that found Google guilty of abusing its power in the online search market. In fact, the US Department of Justice also wants Chrome to be spun off.
A Perplexity spokesperson expects the court to soon set the terms for the antitrust remedies, possibly later this month, hence the unsolicited bid.
Perplexity launched its own Web browser in July. The browser, called Comet, integrates Perplexity’s AI search tools and assistant and is available only to users who subscribe to the Perplexity Max plan at $200 per month. The browser uses Perplexity as the primary search engine, providing AI-generated answers to questions based on results from across the web. The browser is also said to be able to make purchases on your behalf and help you book hotels.
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