So We Have An Example

Perplexity is backed by high-profile investors including SoftBank, Nvidia and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The company’s AI-driven search tool has become a direct competitor to Google’s core business, growing rapidly to reach 30 million active users and handling more than 780 million queries each month. By contrast, Google processes about 13.7 billion searches a day.

A High-Stakes Antitrust Battle

Last year, Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had preserved its dominance in online search by paying billions of dollars to secure exclusive arrangements with device manufacturers, browser developers and mobile carriers, most notably Apple. The Department of Justice has argued that Chrome is a critical part of that dominance and that selling it could break Google’s grip on the market.

Other potential remedies include forcing Google to share more data with rivals to help them build credible alternatives to its search engine, which commands nearly 90 per cent of global market share. Google has said it will appeal against any order to sell Chrome, warning that such measures are “far-reaching” and present security risks for user data. Pichai has argued they would effectively require the company to hand over its intellectual property for free.

Even if the court rules in favour of a sale, Google could delay any divestment for years through the appeals process.

Perplexity’s Ambitions

Although it is just three years old, Perplexity has established itself as one of Google’s most visible challengers. The company’s app is climbing download charts on both Android and Apple devices, and its AI search product has drawn favourable comparisons for speed and relevance.

Srinivas has a history with Google, having interned there before founding Perplexity. He has made a series of high-profile proposals aimed at capturing attention, including a reported $50bn bid earlier this year for TikTok amid political pressure over the video app’s Chinese ownership. That approach, like the Chrome offer, was unsolicited and has not led to a deal.

In May, Alphabet’s share price slipped after an Apple executive said the company was in discussions to make Perplexity the default search option on iPhones. Apple also disclosed that the number of Google searches on its Safari browser had fallen for the first time in decades.

Perplexity’s communications chief Jesse Dwyer told the Financial Times: “This is not a joke. We are good at this. We know we would be good stewards of Chrome and we would challenge anybody who says they would be a better one.” Alphabet has declined to comment publicly.

Chrome’s Strategic Value

Launched in 2008, Chrome is the most widely used browser globally, accounting for more than 60 per cent of market share. It serves as both a distribution platform for Google Search and a foundation for the Chromium open-source software, which underpins browsers including Microsoft Edge and Opera.

Industry analysts expect that if Chrome were put up for sale, it would attract interest from multiple technology companies. An OpenAI executive has already testified that the ChatGPT developer would consider bidding. Rivals could also target Chromium as part of any deal, given its influence over web standards and compatibility.

In his letter to Pichai, Srinivas pledged to keep Chromium open-source, retain most of Chrome’s existing staff, and invest $3bn over two years to develop the browser. He also committed to leaving Google Search as the default option within Chrome, a concession likely aimed at easing potential regulatory concerns.

Building Its Own Browser

Perplexity’s interest in Chrome comes just weeks after it launched its own AI-native web browser, Comet. Built on the Chromium platform, Comet integrates voice and text commands, allowing users to shop online, summarise social media feeds, send emails and complete other tasks without leaving the browser.

The product is part of a broader push by Perplexity to blend AI capabilities with everyday internet tools. While Comet remains a niche offering compared with Chrome’s reach, acquiring the market leader could give Perplexity an immediate and dominant position in the browser space.

The Road Ahead

Whether Perplexity’s offer is taken seriously remains to be seen. A person familiar with Alphabet’s internal discussions told the Financial Times the company does not regard it as a credible proposal. Alphabet’s leadership is also focused on appealing the antitrust ruling rather than negotiating a potential sale.

Still, the bid underscores the shifting competitive landscape in search and browsers. Perplexity’s rapid rise, coupled with growing interest in AI-driven search experiences, has already prompted Google to adapt. It recently began offering an “AI Mode” within its search engine that generates direct answers instead of traditional lists of links.

If a forced sale of Chrome occurs, it would represent one of the most significant antitrust remedies in the technology sector in decades. Control of the browser could reshape competition in both search and online advertising, altering the balance of power between established players and fast-growing start-ups.

For Perplexity, owning Chrome would provide a direct channel to hundreds of millions of users worldwide, dramatically expanding its audience overnight. For regulators, the prospect of a smaller, AI-focused company controlling the browser could be seen as a way to foster innovation and reduce market concentration.

Conclusion

The US court’s decision on remedies for Google’s antitrust violations will determine whether Chrome becomes available to buyers at all. If it does, Perplexity will be one of several potential suitors, and the process is likely to draw intense scrutiny from regulators, investors and rivals.

In the meantime, Perplexity’s bold offer serves as both a publicity move and a statement of intent. It signals the start-up’s ambition to compete head-on with the largest technology companies and to be taken seriously as a future leader in search and browsing technology.

Whether or not Srinivas ever gets the chance to own Chrome, his willingness to challenge Google in its core markets marks a notable shift in the dynamics of an industry long dominated by a few entrenched players.