PERPLEXITY
Perplexity just tried to buy Chrome. Yes, that Chrome
AI start-up Perplexity has made a surprise $36.5bn bid to buy Google’s Chrome browser, claiming the move would put the platform in the hands of an independent operator focused on user safety.
In a letter to Google’s parent company Alphabet, Perplexity said the change would benefit the public.
Google hasn’t indicated Chrome is for sale.
The browser has over 3 billion users and is considered to be worth far more than the offer.
One investor called the bid a “stunt” and estimated Chrome could be worth up to ten times more.
Another noted that it’s unclear if Google would even consider selling.
TL;DR
Perplexity bid is $34.5bn, well below Chrome’s estimated value.
Google is under pressure from ongoing antitrust cases in the US.
Perplexity says it would maintain Google as Chrome’s default search and keep supporting Chromium.
Oh, to be a fly on the Google HQ’s wall
Perplexity said it would keep Google as Chrome’s default search engine, though users could change it, and continue supporting Chromium, the open-source project behind Chrome and other browsers.
The offer comes as Google faces two US antitrust cases, with a key ruling expected soon that could force it to spin off parts of its business.
The start-up, valued at $18bn in July, is positioning itself as a rising AI competitor alongside ChatGPT, Claude and Google’s Gemini.
It recently launched an AI-powered browser called Comet and earlier this year offered to buy TikTok’s US arm.
Somewhere, Safari is sipping tea and whispering, “messy.”