Overview

• Perplexity publicly submitted an unsolicited $34.5 billion all-cash offer for Google’s Chrome on August 12, framing it as a remedy-ready bid in the DOJ’s antitrust case
• The startup says multiple large investment funds have agreed to finance the transaction in full despite Perplexity’s roughly $18 billion valuation
• Perplexity’s proposal pledges to keep Chromium open-source, invest about $3 billion in development, preserve Google as the default search engine, and extend offers to Chrome staff
• Google has declined the offer and continues to oppose any forced divestiture of Chrome, arguing that a sale would harm innovation and security, with appeals expected
• Analysts and legal experts characterize the bid as largely symbolic, noting significant legal, technical and global market hurdles that make a near-term sale unlikely