【Search.com Offers $35 Billion to Acquire Google Chrome, Surpassing Perplexity AI's Bid】Golden Finance reports that with the support of JPMorgan and a private equity consortium, Search.com has entered the competition to acquire Google Chrome with a $35 billion counteroffer, surpassing Perplexity AI's previous bid of $34.5 billion. This $500 million price difference intensifies the high-stakes competition for the future of web browsing and AI search, as more challengers attempt to take control of the world's most widely used browser. "We see this as both offensive and defensive," said Melissa Anderson, president of Public Good (Search.com's parent company). "Acquiring Chrome gives us the scale to accelerate the promotion of our AI search platform—along with direct connections to users." The U.S. Department of Justice sued Google in 2020, accusing it of illegally dominating the search and advertising markets. In April of this year, a federal court ruled that Google monopolized the digital advertising market. Chrome accounts for about 65% of global browser usage, but a report from Wharton School in March 2025 estimated that Google's control over search traffic is close to 90%.

#AI