Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence search company, has made an unapproved offer of $34.5 billion to buy Google’s Chrome web browser. The move has surprised many in the technology industry.

The bid comes as U.S. antitrust officials increase pressure on Google. Government lawyers have suggested that Google sell Chrome to resolve an ongoing court dispute.

Perplexity, backed by high-profile investors such as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and chipmaker Nvidia, described the offer as a pledge to promote an “open web” and “user choice.” In a letter to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas, a former Google employee, argued that a capable, independent operator would better serve the public.

The company also promised to keep Google as Chrome’s default search engine. It committed to investing $3 billion in the open-source Chromium project over the next two years.

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Despite these promises, many industry experts and investors doubt the seriousness of the plan. They believe it may be a marketing stunt. The $34.5 billion offer is almost twice Perplexity’s own estimated value of $18 billion. Experts also say the bid severely undervalues Chrome, which has about three billion users and plays a key role in Google’s advertising business. Analysts estimate Chrome’s worth at up to $100 billion, calling Perplexity’s proposal a lowball offer.

This is not Perplexity’s first bold move to expand its market share. The company previously tried to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations during a potential ban over Chinese ownership. That attempt failed.

The Chrome bid comes at a time when Google faces intense legal pressure. A U.S. federal court recently ruled that Google holds an unlawful monopoly in internet search. The Department of Justice has suggested separating Google’s business units, including Chrome. While discussions on possible remedies continue, Google has consistently opposed the idea of spinning off Chrome, citing security and user protection concerns.

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