Wed, 13 Aug 2025

Wed, 13 Aug 2025 AI start-up Perplexity makes surprise bid for Google Chrome

One technology industry investor called the $34.5bn offer a "stunt" that is much lower than Chrome's true value.
Perplexity, an AI start-up, has made a surprise $34.5bn takeover bid for Google's Chrome internet browser. The company claims that moving Chrome to an independent operator committed to user safety would be beneficial to the public. However, industry investors are skeptical about the offer, with one describing it as a "stunt" and significantly lower than Chrome's true value. It is unclear whether Google is considering selling Chrome, which has over three billion users worldwide. The proposed takeover would see Perplexity continue to have Google as the default search engine within Chrome, while also maintaining support for Chromium, an open-source platform used by several browsers. Industry experts question how the deal would be funded and whether it's even possible given Google's control of Chrome.
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