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Recently, the AI search startup Perplexity has made headlines with its plan to acquire Google's Chrome browser for $34.5 billion in cash. This news came as a surprise, as Perplexity was only founded three years ago, while Google is an internet giant with a market value exceeding $2 trillion. This acquisition attempt clearly comes at a time when Google is under pressure due to antitrust allegations.
Google was ruled by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2024 as a monopolist in the search market and was required to sell Chrome. This makes Perplexity's acquisition offer even more noteworthy. Although Perplexity's valuation is $18 billion, its offer is nearly twice its own valuation, apparently demonstrating its desire for traffic access points.
Since 2023, AI search has rapidly risen, challenging the position of traditional search. AI assistants disrupt previous search methods by directly integrating and summarizing answers, making users prefer AI search experiences without ads. In just three years, Perplexity's valuation has surged from $1.5 billion to $18 billion, showing remarkable growth potential.
However, Perplexity still faces significant challenges. According to data, the company's search processing volume is only 1/25 of OpenAI's and 1/900 of Google's, indicating the high stickiness and dependence on traditional browsers. Additionally, traditional search companies are continuously improving themselves; Google has even stopped offering external search APIs, further solidifying its market position.
In the plan to acquire Chrome, Perplexity has stated that it will invest $3 billion to maintain its open-source code and promised not to change Chrome's default search engine. However, industry analysts generally believe that Google is unlikely to sell Chrome and may engage in prolonged legal battles, as Chrome is crucial for maintaining Google's market share.
In this search war of the AI era, Perplexity and other AI search companies are trying to compete for market share by acquiring key traffic entry points. The future development is worth our attention.
