Why Perplexity AI Is Offering $34.5B to Buy Chrome – The AI Browser War Explained

Perplexity AI announced a cash offer of $34.5 billion to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, a bold move far exceeding the startup’s own valuation.

The proposal follows a similar bid earlier this year to buy the US version of TikTok.

Acquiring Chrome would give Perplexity access to over 3 billion users, strengthening its position in the AI‑search race.

Perplexity, founded three years ago, has raised about $1 billion from investors such as Nvidia and SoftBank, and is now valued at $14 billion; several funds are reportedly ready to finance the full deal.

As users shift toward chat‑bot answers from ChatGPT and Perplexity, browsers become crucial gateways for search traffic and user data, making them strategic assets for AI‑focused tech giants.

Perplexity already runs an AI‑powered browser called Comet; owning Chrome would boost its capabilities against larger rivals like OpenAI, which is also exploring its own AI browser.

AI is sparking a new browser war, with legacy browsers adding generative AI features and AI companies launching browsers to deliver their services.

The disclosed terms promise to keep the Chromium codebase open‑source, invest $3 billion over two years, and leave Chrome’s default search engine unchanged.

Analysts doubt Google will sell Chrome and warn of a possible prolonged legal battle, as Chrome is central to Google’s AI strategy, including AI‑generated search summaries.

A U.S. federal judge is expected soon to rule on antitrust remedies for Google’s search case.

Perplexity’s offer is lower than the valuation suggested by DuckDuckGo’s CEO, who estimates Chrome’s worth at at least $50 billion if forced to be sold.

Other parties, including OpenAI, Yahoo, and private‑equity firm Apollo Global Management, have also shown interest in Chrome.

Google’s response

Google has not immediately responded to Reuters’ request for comment.

The company said it never proposed to sell Chrome and plans to appeal a recent court ruling that found Google’s search business to be an illegal monopoly, with the DOJ seeking Chrome’s divestiture as a remedy.

Google recently announced a vulnerability‑reward program, awarding $250 000 to a researcher for discovering a high‑severity sandbox‑escape bug (CVE‑2025‑4609) in Chrome’s IPCZ communication system, which could allow remote code execution.