Perplexity AI made an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid in all cash for Alphabet Inc.’s (GOOGL) Google Chrome on Tuesday. Google did not respond to media outreach on the story, but the news comes after a long road to a potential split with the Internet browser, notes Tom Bruni, editor-in-chief of The Daily Rip by Stocktwits.
Perplexity would gain three billion users toward its business model, offering an AI search-for-anything app. The unicorn pledged to keep Chromium alive, the open-source underbelly of Chrome that many other Internet browser apps use.
Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)
Last year, a US court ruled Alphabet held an unlawful monopoly in online search, and recommended a Chrome divestiture as a remedy. A federal judge is expected to rule on remedies to Google’s unlawful monopoly this month, according to Reuters.
But Perplexity might not even have the cash. The AI startup has only raised $1 billion so far from investors like Softbank Group Corp. (SFTBY) and Nvidia Corp. (NVDA), valued last at $18 billion in a $100 million funding round this year. What's more, DuckDuckGo’s Chieg Gabrield Weinberg said Chrome may fetch upwards of a $50 billion if Alphabet is forced to sell.
It’s not the first project Perplexity has tried to glob onto. The company proposed a merger with TikTok in January, a potential exit from a nearly years-long political drama surrounding the possible Chinese control of the scrolling video giant.
