Image : Mark Hachman Foundry
Bloomberg reported on the proposed dealwhich was confirmed by a representative of Perplexity. The Wall Street Journal
There’s one problem: Perplexity does not possess the $34.5 billion needed to fund this deal. The WSJ’s own valuation is only $18 billion. Perplexity had to find another source of funding, and it seems that they have. Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity’s chief business officer, told Bloomberg that “multiple major investment firms have agreed” to finance the deal.
Google Chrome was built on Chromium, an open-source foundation used by virtually all of Chrome’s rival browsers including Microsoft Edge, which is its closest competitor on Windows. Chrome is the most popular browser in the United States with 51.05 percent. Statcounter provides a report. According to the WSJ Perplexity has agreed to keep Chromium and Google as the default engine within Chrome for the time being.
In August last year, a federal court found Google’s advertising and search business to be illegal. In November 2024, the Department of Justice suggested a drastic remedy-that Google sell Chrome. ChatGPT expressed an interest in purchasing Chrome. Perplexity and Yahoo expressed interest in purchasing Chrome as well.
In an effort to curry favor with government, Google killed its DEI initiatives, and Sundar Pichai, the chief executive, tried to give President Trump a warm welcome at his inauguration. These efforts have not yet worked. Google has also announced that it will appeal the ruling.
It’s now up to Google whether to accept or reject this deal, or to force Perplexity rivals to put money where their mouths is. Google’s Chrome, despite its popularity, is a hot commodity.