U.S. antitrust regulators have been ramping up their efforts, and Google could soon be compelled to part ways with Chrome — the dominant web browser in America. Now, reports suggest Google has received a staggering, though unlikely, $34 billion bid from an unexpected contender: Perplexity AI.
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Perplexity AI has put forward a $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google’s Chrome browser — a move that raises eyebrows for several reasons. For one, Perplexity’s own valuation sits at just $18 billion, according to the Journal. And while Chrome’s exact worth remains unclear, industry estimates peg its value anywhere between $20 billion and $50 billion, depending on who you ask.
Perplexity, widely recognized for its AI-driven search engine, recently expanded its portfolio with the launch of Comet, an autonomous AI-powered web browser
So, how could Perplexity AI possibly finance such a deal?
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company has the support of multiple venture capital firms and other investors who are prepared to help bankroll the bid.
Reports suggest that OpenAI has also shown interest in acquiring Google Chrome, though it remains uncertain whether Google would ever part with one of its most widely used and strategically important products—especially to a direct AI competitor.
These acquisition rumors come at a tense moment for the tech giant, as the industry awaits the fallout from the U.S. Department of Justice’s landmark antitrust ruling against Google. The court found that the company had “illegally monopolized” both the search engine and search advertising markets, a decision that could have sweeping consequences for its business model.
U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta is now considering possible remedies, and one of the most drastic options on the table is a forced divestiture of Chrome. While such a move would dramatically reshape the internet’s competitive landscape, Google is expected to resist it fiercely unless it becomes a legal necessity. The outcome could set a precedent for how far regulators are willing to go to dismantle tech monopolies, making Chrome’s future a focal point in the broader battle over Big Tech’s dominance.
At the same time, major tech players are already positioning themselves for a post–Google Search era, racing to stake their claim in what could become the next big frontier: AI-powered browser dominance.
While many industry analysts believe the likelihood of Google actually selling Chrome remains slim, that hasn’t deterred ambitious competitors like Perplexity from making bold moves to get ahead of the curve. The stakes go beyond Chrome itself — Judge Mehta could also impose restrictions on Google’s lucrative practice of paying for default search engine placement across browsers and devices. Such a ruling could significantly shake up the search market, and some insiders say it was part of what initially put Perplexity on Apple’s radar as a potential acquisition target.
With an estimated 3.5 billion users and more than 60% of the global browser market under its belt, Chrome isn’t just a popular product — it’s a linchpin of Google’s ecosystem. Any forced divestiture would rank among the most significant antitrust interventions in tech history, potentially redrawing the map of internet competition and setting the stage for a new generation of browser wars.