Artificial intelligence start-up Perplexity has tabled a $34.5 billion (£25.6 billion) cash bid for Google’s Chrome browser, saying independent ownership would improve user safety and uphold the “open web”.
In a letter to Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) chief executive Sundar Pichai, the firm pledged to keep Google as Chrome’s default search engine while continuing support for Chromium, the open-source technology behind Chrome and other browsers.
The unsolicited offer has been met with scepticism. Analysts believe the offer is well below Chrome’s true value, with some estimating the browser could be worth ten times more.
Google has given no indication Chrome is for sale and has argued spinning it off would harm consumers.
Perplexity, valued at $18 billion in July, is a rising player in generative AI, competing with ChatGPT and Gemini.
It recently launched its own AI-powered browser, Comet, and has a history of bold takeover approaches, including a bid for TikTok’s US business.