A US$34.5 billion (A$53.1 billion) all-cash offer by Perplexity AI to buy Google’s Chrome browser has attracted attention, despite Google’s seeming lack of interest in the bid.

The unsolicited proposal landed as Google faces a US antitrust trial that might force the company to sell off one of its crown jewels.

The U.S. Justice Department’s case against Google argues that its near-total control over search, which is bolstered by Chrome’s market-leading position in browsers, creates an unfair competitive advantage. Chrome has more than 60% of the global desktop browser market and directs the vast majority of traffic to Google Search, which commands around 90% of the search market.

If the court rules that such dominance stifles competition, one potential remedy is forcing Google to spin off or sell Chrome. Both OpenAI and Perplexity have told regulators they’d be interested buyers if Chrome were put on the block.

Perplexity, which is still a relatively small player compared to Google or even OpenAI, has been unafraid to make bold moves of late.

Earlier this year, it floated a bid for TikTok’s US operations, pitching itself as a neutral steward able to run the app without Beijing’s influence. Nothing came of that pursuit, but Perplexity is claiming that if it successfully acquired Chrome, it would:

  • Keep Chromium open-source
  • Retain most Chrome staff
  • Invest US$3 billion (A$4.6 billion) in product development over two years
  • Maintain Google as the default search engine, at least initially, while giving users more choice

(Perplexity has warned that breaking Chrome away from Google risks undermining the open-source Chromium project that underpins much of the modern web, if a forced divesture is mishandled.)

 

Google and Chrome may be parting ways

Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is not taking the offer seriously. Even if the court rules against Google, the tech giant could tie up a forced sale in appeals for years.

Perplexity has high-profile, deep-pocketed backers in the form of Jeff Bezos, Nvidia and SoftBank. It also claims to have 30 million active users. But it’s currently valued at US$18 billion, roughly half the amount it’s offering for Chrome.

Whatever ends up happening with Chrome and Perplexity’s bid for it, the browser wars will continue to rage. Both tech-industry incumbents and challengers view browsers not just as gateways to the web, but as prime territory for AI-driven search and personalisation.