Perplexity on Tuesday offered to buy Google’s Chrome browser for $34.5 billion, The Wall Street Journal reported. Perplexity’s offer is nearly double its estimated $18 billion valuation. The company said several major investors have agreed to fully fund the deal. Recent estimates place Chrome’s enterprise value between $20 billion and $50 billion. The offer comes as U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta considers remedies in a 2020 antitrust case after ruling Google illegally monopolized the search market. A Google spokesperson declined to comment on Perplexity’s offer. Perplexity’s bid may be intended to show the judge there is a willing buyer if Chrome is forced to be sold. In a letter to Sundar Pichai, the company said the purchase would serve the public interest by placing Chrome with an independent operator.
