Perplexity offers $34.5 billion for Google Chrome amid antitrust pressure

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AI search startup Perplexity has made an unsolicited USD 34.5 billion bid to acquire Google Chrome, more than the startup's own estimated USD 18 billion valuation, according to reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.

Perplexity's chief business officer Dmitry Shevelenko disclosed the offer during an interview with Bloomberg, saying "multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full." 

The proposal comes months after Perplexity signaled interest in acquiring Chrome if US regulators compel Google to divest the browser. 

The Department of Justice and several states are pursuing a landmark antitrust lawsuit against Google, alleging the company maintains an illegal monopoly in online search through exclusive deals and control over distribution channels.

Google has given no indication it would sell Chrome, and no court has ordered such a divestiture. 

Earlier this year, Perplexity also floated a bid for TikTok. The startup says it would invest over USD 3 billion in Chrome and the open-source Chromium project over the next two years if the acquisition goes through.

According to the Financial Times, Perplexity's valuation had surged to USD 18 billion in March, up from USD 14 billion just a couple of months earlier, following a fresh USD 100 million funding round.

The startup is backed by funding from Nvidia, SoftBank's Vision Fund 2, New Enterprise Associates, and IVP.