Perplexity AI, an 18-month-old startup worth $18 billion, just bid $34.5 billion—nearly double its own valuation—to buy Google Chrome from a company worth $2.3 trillion. It’s like a local coffee shop offering to buy Starbucks. The bid comes as the DOJ pushes Google to divest Chrome following antitrust violations. But here’s what everyone’s missing: this might be the most brilliant strategic positioning in tech history, regardless of whether Perplexity actually expects to win.
Perplexity’s $34.5 billion bid for Chrome is either the boldest strategic move in tech history or the most brilliant PR stunt ever conceived. An $18 billion company bidding double its worth for the world’s dominant browser breaks every rule of M&A logic—which might be exactly the point.
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The Strategic Reality: This bid has already succeeded in its primary goal: transforming Perplexity from “another AI search startup” to “the company bold enough to bid for Chrome.” Whether they win or lose, they’ve already won the narrative war. The bid forces Google to take them seriously, regulators to see them as a viable alternative, and investors to reconsider their valuation.
For Business Leaders: The lesson isn’t about having the money to back up your bids—it’s about understanding that in the attention economy, a bold move that captures the world’s imagination can be worth more than actually winning. Perplexity just bought a seat at the big kids’ table for the price of a press release. Sometimes the best acquisition is the one you never actually have to complete.
Three Predictions:
Perplexity withdraws bid within 6 months: After extracting maximum PR value
Real Chrome buyer emerges at $75B+: Likely Microsoft or PE consortium
Perplexity raises $5B+ at $40B valuation: Riding the Chrome bid narrative
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
