The company, which emerged 3 years ago, offered a fortune to buy Chrome

Perplexity, an artificial intelligence-focused search engine startup, has made headlines in the tech world with a move that has generated significant buzz. According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, the company has submitted an unsolicited bid of $34.5 billion for Google's popular web browser, Google Chrome.

TWICE THE SIZE OFFER

Perplexity's current market capitalization is approximately $18 billion. The offer, which nearly doubled that value, is noteworthy. The company submitted its offer to Google on Tuesday. This development comes on the heels of rumors that Google could be forced to sell Chrome due to the ongoing antitrust case filed by the US government. However, Google has not yet indicated any intention of selling the browser. It's understood the court has not yet issued such a ruling.

MORE THAN 3 BILLION INVESTMENTS

Perplexity spokesperson Jesse Dwyer confirmed the WSJ report to The Verge. The company's Chief Operating Officer, Dmitry Shevelenko, told Bloomberg that several major investment funds have agreed to finance the massive transaction. If the deal goes through, Perplexity is committed to investing more than $3 billion in Chrome and Chromium over the next two years.

Perplexity's CEO stated that he sees web browsers as "the most important application of artificial intelligence," adding that this offer is part of their vision. This isn't the company's first major acquisition. Earlier this year, it was reported that Perplexity also made an offer to acquire social media giant TikTok.