An Indian makes an offer to buy Google’s Chrome browser at 34.5 billion, will Google accept it?

AI startup Perplexity, founded by IIT-Madras alumnus Aravind Srinivas, makes audacious bid for Chrome of 34.5 Billion dollars to boost AI search dominance. Google unlikely to sell. Deal highlights India’s rising global tech influence.

New Delhi: AI search startup Perplexity has made a bold offer to buy Google's popular browser Chrome for $34.5 billion (about Rs 2.8 lakh crores). The offer is unsolicited and all-cash, although it is less than Chrome's potential value ($50B+). Perplexity's own current valuation is just $14 billion, so the deal will rely on big investors for funding. However, the company has managed to get funding of 1 billion dollars from the investors.

Why does it want Chrome?

Chrome's 3 billion+ users could give Perplexity an edge in the AI search race. Google is facing an antitrust case, and the US government is demanding Chrome's divestiture. Perplexity has its own AI browser, "Comet," but ownership of Chrome will give it the strength to compete with giants like OpenAI.

Google's response

Google has not yet responded. The company is not ready to sell Chrome and will appeal against the court's decision (in which Google was considered a monopoly in the search market). Moreover, Google is already working to make a better version of its own AI called Gemini.

Terms of the deal

Perplexity will retain Chrome's open-source code (Chromium). Will invest $3 billion in the browser. Will not change the default search engine (Google) so that users do not face any problems.

Who else is interested?

Companies like OpenAI, Yahoo, and Apollo Global Management are also interested in Chrome. However, analysts believe that Google will not sell Chrome and will fight a legal battle, as it is an important part of its AI and search business.

This offer from Perplexity may be a stunt, but it shows that the AI war has now reached browsers.

Who is Aravind Srinivas?

Aravind Srinivas, co-founder & CEO of Perplexity AI, is an IIT-Madras alumnus from India. After earning a PhD from UC Berkeley, he worked at OpenAI and Google DeepMind before launching Perplexity, an AI-powered search engine.

Born in India, his work bridges Silicon Valley and India's tech ecosystem. The startup, valued at $3B, reflects India's growing influence in global AI innovation, with Srinivas as a key figure shaping the future of AI-driven search.