In a bold move that has shocked both the tech and AI industries, Perplexity AI has made an unsolicited cash offer of $34.5 billion to buy Google Chrome, as reported by Reuters and confirmed to TechCrunch. The proposal includes a commitment to keep Chrome’s underlying engine, Chromium, open-source and to continue investing in it, with $3 billion earmarked for the open-source project. Crucially, Perplexity has promised not to change default user settings, including retaining Google as the default search engine instead of introducing its own AI-powered option. This surprising development comes amid ongoing legal battles for Google. In March, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed that Google be forced to sell Chrome after a judge ruled the tech giant acted illegally to maintain a monopoly in online search. While Google has vowed to appeal, the potential court-ordered sale has already attracted interest from major players. The DOJ’s antitrust push also includes another case where Google was found to have illegally monopolized the adtech sector, with proposals to divest adtech products or restructure its business. Perplexity’s interest dates back to when the DOJ first suggested divesting Chrome earlier this year. Both OpenAI and Perplexity signaled potential bids at that time. Chrome currently dominates the browser market with a 68% market share, according to StatCounter. If the courts mandate its sale, competition is expected to be fierce among global tech companies. The move underscores Perplexity’s growing ambition to not only compete in AI search but also expand into major internet infrastructure. For more information, read the full article here.