The tech world was shocked when artificial intelligence (AI) company Perplexity AI made a sudden and absurd offer of $34.5 billion to buy Google's popular web browser, Chrome.
That's far more than Perplexity's current valuation of just around US$18 billion, but the company claims to have secured funding support from several major investors.
The bold move follows a proposal by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for Google to divest itself of Chrome, after a court ruled that the giant illegally monopolized the internet search market.
Google, however, previously described the DOJ's proposal as "radical" and "extreme", but has yet to announce further steps to comply with the court's decision.
Chrome, launched in 2008, has become the main gateway to the internet for many users, thus becoming a key source of data for Google's advertising.
Analysts say that if Perplexity's bid is successful, it will reshape the global competitive structure in the search engine and web browser industries, giving rivals a greater chance to penetrate markets previously dominated by Google.
Perplexity, which previously proposed a merger with TikTok in January, has clearly shown its courage to challenge the world's largest technology player.
