Aravind Srinivas’ Perplexity AI has shocked the technical world with $ 34.5 billion all-cash all-cash offers to buy Google Chrome, even though the browser is not officially on the market. The bid is much larger than its $ 14 billion evaluation of perplexity, the goal of setting a strong leg in the AI search race as a startup. Perplexity is known for making bold moves. Earlier this year, it offered to merge with Tikok’s American business to address concerns over Chinese ownership. Now, its locations are set to an estimated three billion users of Chrome, which will give rival AI contestants such as openiI on a scale.

This proposal comes as an increase in legal pressure in the United States on its dominance in online search, although thin, that chrome can be forced into new ownership. The situation here is broken in five major points.

A bold bid from a young AI Challenger

At the age of only three years, it has already created a reputation for adventurous moves. Earlier this year, the company proposed a merger with the American operations of Tikok to overcome political concerns about the Chinese ownership of the app. Now, it has set its places on Chrome, used by an estimated three billion people worldwide.

If successful, the acquisition will give immediate scale in its fight against AI rivals such as Openai. Chrome is not just a web browser, this search is an entrance to the huge amounts of traffic and user data, both AI products are rapidly important in shaping the products.

Under Google Antitance Fire

Google’s legal problems make the background of this proposal. An American court recently ruled that the company kept an illegal monopoly in online search. The US Department of Justice has suggested that selling chrome to restore competition can be a possible measure.

Google, however, is planning to appeal to the decision and insists that the market is already competitive. The company has not indicated that Chrome is for sale. Experts noted that any forced sales would face a long legal process, possibly reaching the US Supreme Court for years.

Funding promises, but some details

Perplexity has not explained how it will give finance to the purchase of $ 34.5 billion. The company says that many unnamed investment funds have offered to cover the entire amount.

To date, Perplexity has raised about $ 1 billion from investors including NVIDIA and Japan’s softbank. According to a term sheet observed by Reuters, the company has promised to keep the underlying open-source code, chromium available independently; Invest $ 3 billion in two years; And do not make any changes in the default search engine of Chrome. Perplexity’s pitch promotes the deal as a way to preserve the user’s choice, promoting the competition.

Openai’s interest adds to the conspiracy

Perplexity is not alone in its interest. Earlier this year, court testimony revealed that Openai also detected the idea of buying chrome. Along with this, Yahoo also showed interest in buying chrome. In 2023, Openai contacted Google to get access to its search API for use in Chatgpt, but Google rejected, citing competitive concerns.

Since then, Openai has trusted Microsoft’s bing to give strength to his chatbot’s search abilities. The company believes that it is still far from the construction of a search engine that is capable of handling most user questions. Like Perplexity, Openai, the owner of Chrome, will find a straight route for billions of internet users.

Further Road: Unexpected but high bets

Industry analysts suspect that Google will voluntarily participate with Chrome, looking at its role as the foundation stone of the company’s AI and search strategies. Chrome feeds valuable data in Google’s AI model and supports new features such as AI-generated “overview” in search results.

The Department of Justice, however, argues that Google’s control over the discovery infrastructure can give it an improper lead in the AI race. For now, Chrome lives strongly in the hands of Google, but as near a decision on antitrust trial treatment, technical giants and investors are equally watching closely. Whether it is sales or not, Chrome’s future will be a central story in Big Tech’s AI competition.