Indian-Origin Aravind Srinivas’ Perplexity AI Looks to Buy Google Chrome For Nearly Rs. 3.02 Lakh Crores

Indian-origin tech entrepreneur Aravind Srinivas, co-founder and CEO of Perplexity AI, has submitted an unsolicited all-cash bid of $34.5 billion (approximately Rs. 3.02 Lakh Crores) to acquire Google’s Chrome browser, nearly double his startup’s own $18 billion (approximately Rs. 1.5 Lakh Crore) valuation.

The formal offer, addressed to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, frames the deal as a proactive solution to regulatory pressure that may force Google to divest Chrome to curb its dominance in online search. Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal report that Perplexity pledges to preserve open-source Chromium, retain Google as the default search engine, invest $3 billion (approximately Rs. 26 Thousand Crores) over two years, and keep existing Chrome personnel, aiming to assure a seamless transition to a capable, independent steward.

Despite Perplexity’s modest three-year history, it claims strong financial backing from major investors, including SoftBank, Nvidia, Jeff Bezos, and others, though their names remain undisclosed. The offer almost doubles Perplexity’s own valuation, signaling both ambition and confidence.

Who is Aravind Srinivas?

Born in Madras (now Chennai) in 1994, Aravind Srinivas earned dual degrees (B.Tech and M.Tech) in Electrical Engineering from IIT Madras, followed by a Ph.D. in Computer Science at UC Berkeley.

He gained early AI research experience through internships and roles at OpenAI, DeepMind, and Google before founding Perplexity AI in 2022 alongside Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski.

Perplexity has rapidly carved out a niche with its AI-powered "answer engine," which delivers conversational, cited responses instead of traditional search links. With this buyout, Perplexity may look to further its ambitions with Comet - its AI browser - that is currently at its invite-only stage.

The bid comes at a critical moment. A federal court ruled that Google engaged in anticompetitive practices to maintain its search dominance. Remedies being considered include forcing the sale of Chrome, an unusually bold judicial intervention that could reshape the tech landscape.

While Google has not commented officially, insiders reportedly view the bid as unlikely to succeed, with skepticism about its seriousness and concerns over security and intellectual property. Alphabet has already signaled that it plans to appeal potential divestiture orders, a process that could drag on for years.

Analysts suggest the bid is as much a media coup as a genuine takeover attempt, elevating Perplexity's profile and spotlighting its own AI browser, Comet.