Perplexity Wants To Buy Chrome If Google Forced To Sell In Antitrust Case

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY – At the center of Google’s landmark antitrust trial, an unexpected name surfaced. Perplexity, the AI search startup founded by Aravind Srinivas, said it would consider buying Google’s Chrome browser if regulators force a sale. But ideally, Perplexity would prefer Google to retain control rather than see the open-source browser land in the hands of a rival like OpenAI.

Testifying at the trial, Perplexity’s Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko told the court the startup believes it could operate Chrome without degrading quality or introducing charges to users — a critical point given concerns that a forced divestiture could disrupt the browser ecosystem.

Shevelenko raised alarms about the future of Chromium — the open-source codebase that powers Chrome and many other browsers — if a company like OpenAI were to acquire it. He warned that OpenAI might abandon Chromium’s open model or fail to maintain it properly, potentially destabilizing the broader web browsing landscape.

Perplexity, which has previously expressed interest in acquiring embattled tech platforms like TikTok, is also preparing its own backup plan: the company is developing Comet, a Chromium-based browser it is building internally in case Chrome’s future becomes uncertain.

Despite its ambitions, Perplexity insists it doesn’t want to see Google “broken up” just for the sake of it. In a LinkedIn post ahead of the hearing, the company argued that the real issue lies in Google’s restrictive search distribution deals, not the quality of its products.

Judge Amit Mehta, who is presiding over the case, has already found that Google used exclusionary agreements to maintain its search dominance. If the court sides with the Justice Department, it could result in drastic remedies — including forcing Google to sell off Chrome, one of its most strategic assets.

For Perplexity, founded less than three years ago, the stakes are clear: it wants a chance to grow without Big Tech dominance, but it also fears that dismantling Google’s browser empire could create even bigger risks if the wrong buyer steps in.