Google is facing increasing scrutiny over its market dominance in search as a US antitrust agency considers a potential breakup of the company. In response to these concerns, Perplexity AI has made a significant bid of $34.5 billion to acquire Google’s popular browser, Chrome.
The move comes at an opportune time for Google, which is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary as a publicly traded company next week. The offer, however, may not be taken seriously by analysts, who believe it undervalues the browser and its importance in Google’s ad business.
According to estimates, YouTube and Google Cloud are each worth hundreds of billions of dollars, with analyst values ranging from $50 billion to $682 billion for Chrome alone. These high valuations reflect the significant revenue generated by these services, which are crucial to Google’s growth and profitability.
The future of Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, hangs in the balance as investors await a judge’s decision on whether the company must divest its search business due to antitrust concerns. Analysts have also placed estimated values on other Alphabet businesses, including YouTube and Waymo, which are valued at $306 billion and $150 billion respectively.
As Google continues to diversify its revenue streams through artificial intelligence and cloud services, it remains to be seen whether the company will be forced into drastic measures due to regulatory pressure. For now, Perplexity AI’s bid for Chrome serves as a reminder of the high stakes involved in the antitrust investigation and its potential impact on Google’s future prospects.
In addition to its efforts to address regulatory concerns, Alphabet has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure and services. However, with consumers increasingly turning to alternative search engines like ChatGPT, Google’s reliance on traditional search may be eroded.
The company’s 10-year anniversary as a holding company, which marks the creation of Alphabet in October last year, is also significant. This milestone has led to renewed focus on the importance of diversifying its revenue streams and mitigating regulatory risks.
Despite these challenges, Alphabet’s market value has surged over 150% since its inception, with Sundar Pichai at the helm leading a team that has continued to explore growth opportunities in AI and cloud services.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/13/google-antitrust-chrome-perplexity-ai-youtube.html