Perplexity Just Flung $34.5B at Google Like It’s Monopoly Money

I open Chrome to do some completely normal things, like check the 47 tabs. I forgot to close. Maybe listen to the music, but you won’t believe what I got. Turns out Perplexity AI just whipped out a $34.5 billion all-cash offer to buy the entire browser. Not a subscription, not a partnership, the whole thing. Perplexity wants the whole Chrome browser and calls it Chrome Acquisition. Apparently, they are calling it an “antitrust remedy.”

Perplexity AI’s $34.5 Billion Offer

The Details of the Offer

Perplexity woke up and chose chaos. It flung $34.5 billion in cash on Google’s desk for Chrome. No “how’s your day?” No “How are you doing?” Just bam. For context, Perplexity is regularly worth $14-$18 billion. So yeah, they are offering twice their own value, like a teenager maxing out their credit card on a luxury handbag just “for the vibes.” This is an unsolicited bit, which is the corporate version of showing up at someone’s house with a suitcase full of cash and saying, “I live here now; get out.” Chrome isn’t exactly up for sale. It’s Google’s shiny crown jewel, the one thing everyone uses for almost everything from the morning to the end of the day. Chrome Acquisition isn’t just a piece of cake.

Strategic Implications for the Chrome Acquisition

Perplexity swears it’s doing it for the greater good. The pitch is basically, “Let us have Chrome, and we will save you from those antitrust headaches.” They even promised to…

• As reported by The Verge, Chrome stays open source because gatekeeping is bad for PR.
• $3 billion in investments over two years to keep it fresh and competitive.
• Google still gets to be the default search engine, so the money faucet stays open.

If this strategy works, Perplexity will instantly get billions of users and the kind of brand recognition you can’t buy, except they’re literally trying to buy it via Chrome acquisition.

OpenAI’s “Hey, Me Too!” Moment

OpenAI Eyes Chrome If It’s Forced to Sell

As reported by Bloomberg, during the antitrust trial, OpenAI’s head of products for ChatGPT, Nick Turley, raised his hand and said, “You could offer a really incredible experience” if ChatGPT were integrated into Chrome, he said. We would “have the ability to introduce users to what an AI-first experience looks like.”

Why OpenAI Also Wants To Participate?

Turley didn’t mince words, like Chrome would let OpenAI really show what an AI-first browsing experience looks like, with ChatGPT baked in. Right now, they’re blocked by closed distribution channels; owning Chrome would open up the floodgates. Just think of ChatGPT and Chrome Colabs. They will be invincible.

Why the Chrome Acquisition Matters in AI Competition?

Browsers as AI Frontlines with Chrome Acquisition

Browsers aren’t just for typing in URLs anymore. They’re the front door to search, user data, & online behaviour. Whoever owns that door controls the flow of information, and in an AI browser, that’s mindblowing power. If Perplexity could add Chrome Acquisition to its backend, it would jump past almost every competitor overnight. And if you’re wondering why AI search power inside a browser is such a big deal, AI Search Optimization Tips to Help You Get Cited by AI Tools shows exactly how search and AI can team up to dominate attention.

Perplexity’s Comet vs. Google’s Chrome

Perplexity already has its own browser, aka Comet. It’s AI-powered, agent-driven, and built to automate the tedious stuff like booking tickets, summarizing pages, and organizing your workflow. But let’s be real, Comet’s user base is a small mark compared to Chrome’s. Owning Chrome wouldn’t just be a power-up. It would be a rapid speed jump into the mainstream, like a small singer getting a major record deal and becoming a major mainstream artist.

Broader AI Browser Landscape After Chrome Acquisition

Microsoft’s Edge Embraces AI with CoPilot

Microsoft’s Edge browser has been quietly bulking up, too. The addition of CoPilot, an AI assistant baked right into the browser, is its way of saying it’s ready for the new AI age. It helps write, summarize, search smarter, and essentially makes the browser itself a productivity partner.

The Rise of AI‑First Browsers

The trend is clear that browsers are becoming AI native rather than AI-accessorized. Instead of just adding extensions or plugins, companies like Perplexity are building AI into Chrome. The Chrome Acquisition would put AI at the center of attention.

The Bottom Line

We’ve got Perplexity throwing $34.5 billion like the fat money sack, OpenAI quietly raising a hand to participate in the show, and the browsers turning into an AI battlefield. Even if these sales don’t happen. The message is clear that whoever controls the browser controls the future. This isn’t a Lizzy McGuire show with a small girl with a big dream. In this world, the front lines are loaded with cash and agents.