Perplexity AI’s $34.5 Billion offer for Google Chrome Mirrors Elon Musk’s Twitter Takeover
In one of the boldest plays yet in the browser wars, AI startup Perplexity has tabled an unsolicited $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google Chrome, according to multiple reports.
The offer is striking not just for its size — nearly double Perplexity’s own estimated valuation of $18 billion — but for its audacity. Company spokesperson Jesse Dwyer confirmed the proposal, framing it as part of a long-term push to expand aggressively into the browser market.
Google, under CEO Sundar Pichai, has shown no interest in selling Chrome, and no regulator has ordered a divestment. Still, the move signals Perplexity’s appetite for high-profile acquisitions. The company previously made a run at TikTok’s U.S. operations, which ultimately stalled amid regulatory hurdles.
Perplexity’s chief business officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, said the company has secured commitments from “multiple large investment funds” to fully finance the deal. If successful, Perplexity has pledged to invest over $3 billion into Chrome and its open-source sibling, Chromium, within two years, while retaining a “substantial portion” of Chrome’s existing workforce.
The startup has also sought to reassure both users and advertisers, promising no “stealth modifications” to Chrome’s functionality and excluding any equity in Perplexity itself from the offer — a move aimed at sidestepping antitrust concerns.
Elon Musk's Twitter Takeover
The surprise bid has drawn inevitable comparisons to Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter — another unsolicited tech takeover that began with a quiet build-up, escalated into a full-scale public offer, and sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley.
Musk’s campaign started in early 2022, when he quietly amassed a 9.2% stake in Twitter before going public on April 4. Initially offered a board seat, he declined, freeing himself to launch a takeover attempt. On April 14, Musk made an unsolicited $44 billion bid, calling it his “best and final” offer.
Twitter’s board countered with a “poison pill” to block him, but Musk secured $46.5 billion in financing. By April 25, Twitter board unanimously approved the deal to avoid hostile takeover.
What followed was months of drama: Musk tried to walk away over concerns about fake accounts, prompting Twitter to sue in Delaware Chancery Court. By October, Musk reversed course, and on October 27, 2022, he closed the deal — immediately ousting top executives, including CEO Parag Agrawal.
AI Eyes the Browser
While the Chrome deal is far from a certainty, it underscores the growing competition to control the browser as a gateway for AI-powered services. Perplexity is already building Comet, its own AI-driven browser designed to automate online shopping and other tasks — but the Chrome acquisition, if realized, would give it instant scale and billions of users overnight.
Whether Perplexity’s bold move ends like Musk’s Twitter victory or joins the long list of tech takeovers that never materialized will depend on Google’s response — and on how regulators view the idea of an AI startup owning the world’s most popular browser.
