2 1 Shi Ji Jing Ji Bao Dao·2025-08-13 11:08Core Insights - Perplexity, an AI startup, has made a $34.5 billion acquisition offer for Google's Chrome browser, aiming to challenge Google's dominance in the search market [2][3] - Perplexity's current valuation is approximately $18 billion, indicating that the acquisition offer significantly exceeds its market value, but it has backing from major venture capital firms [2] - The estimated market value of Chrome varies widely between $20 billion and $50 billion, suggesting that Perplexity's offer could be a strategically valuable acquisition if completed [2] Market Context - The acquisition proposal comes amid increasing antitrust regulatory pressure on Google, with the U.S. Department of Justice having filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company in 2020 [3] - A U.S. judge ruled last year that Google illegally monopolized the search market, and a decision on restoring competition is expected soon [3] - The sale of Chrome, which has around 3.5 billion users and holds over 60% of the global browser market share, is one of the remedies suggested by the DOJ in the antitrust case [3] Company Position - Google has expressed a negative stance towards the sale of Chrome, with CEO Sundar Pichai testifying that forced asset sales or data sharing could harm Google's business foundation and innovation efforts [3] - Chrome's strategic significance to Google's search ecosystem is underscored by its dominant market position [3]