SAN FRANCISCO, United States — Perplexity AI offered Google on Tuesday $34.5 billion for its popular Chrome web browser, which the internet giant could potentially be forced to sell as part of antitrust proceedings.
The whopping sum proposed in a letter of intent by Perplexity is nearly double the value of the startup, which was reportedly $18 billion in a recent funding round.'This proposal is designed to satisfy an antitrust remedy in highest public interest by placing Chrome with a capable, independent operator focused on continuity, openness, and consumer protection,' Perplexity chief executive Aravind Srinivas said in the letter, a copy of which was seen by Agence France-Presse.
Given that Perplexity already has a browser that competes with Chrome, the San Francisco-based startup could be trying to spark others to bid or 'influence the pending decision' in the antitrust case, Baird analysts theorized.'Either way, we believe Perplexity would view an independent Chrome — or one no longer affiliated with Google — as an advantage as it attempts to take browser share,' Baird analysts told investors.
AI Offers Google $34.5B For Chrome Browser
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