Aravind Srinivas, the CEO and co founder of Perplexity AI, has drawn global attention after his company made an unexpected 34.5 billion US dollar offer to acquire Google’s Chrome browser. The proposal is notable not only because Chrome is one of Google’s most valuable products but also because the amount is more than twice Perplexity’s own 14 billion US dollar valuation.
Chrome, with over three billion users worldwide, is far more than just a browser. It serves as a major entry point to Google’s search, advertising and cloud services. The idea that a three year old AI company could take over such a product has sparked intense discussion in the technology world.
Born in Chennai, India, Srinivas studied at IIT Madras before moving to the United States to pursue higher education at the University of California, Berkeley. Srinivas early career included working with leading AI researcher Yoshua Bengio and a period at Google, giving him first hand experience with search and internet technologies. In 2022, Srinivas co founded Perplexity AI with Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho and Andy Konwinski. The company’s AI powered search engine is designed to provide direct, conversational answers using real time information.
The timing of the offer is significant. In the United States, Google is facing a major antitrust ruling after a judge concluded that it maintained its search monopoly illegally, partly through payments to remain the default search engine. While remedies are still under consideration, one theoretical outcome could be the forced sale of Chrome. Google has said it will appeal the ruling, a process that may take years, and there is no sign it plans to sell Chrome willingly.
Reactions to Srinivas’s move have been mixed. Some dismiss it as unrealistic given Chrome’s deep integration with Google’s services. Others view it as a bold publicity strategy that has placed Perplexity at the centre of global discussions on internet competition.
Financially, a real purchase would be challenging. Perplexity has raised about 1 billion US dollars from investors such as Nvidia and SoftBank, but funding a 34.5 billion US dollar deal would require substantial outside investment, possibly through private equity, which would carry heavy debt and operational risks.
Despite the odds, Perplexity has made its ambitions clear. Srinivas’s company recently launched Comet, its AI powered browser, and continues to position itself as a challenger to traditional search engines.
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