Lex Fridman Podcast of AI Inside Perplexity Bids To Buy Google!: Inside the david vs. goliath tech battle
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Aug 18, 2025 A tech startup's jaw-dropping $34.5 billion bid to acquire Google Chrome is turning heads. Is this a genuine challenge or just bravado? The discussion dives into the potential ramifications for the tech landscape, tackling antitrust debates and the allure of open-source commitments. This bold move highlights the shifting power dynamics in Silicon Valley, sparking conversations about the future of the internet.
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Perplexity's Strategic Bet On Chrome
- Perplexity offered $34.5B cash for Google Chrome amid antitrust pressure and possible divestiture.
- Acquiring Chrome would give Perplexity massive distribution for its search tech and browser efforts.
Perplexity's Paid AI Browser Comet
- Perplexity released its own paid AI-first browser called Comet that costs $200/month.
- Comet serves as a technology and product precursor to what Perplexity might bring into Chrome.
Open Source Commitment To Win Trust
- Perplexity pledged to keep Chromium open source and invest $3B into the project as part of the offer.
- That commitment aims to reassure the ecosystem and preserve extensions and multi-browser compatibility.