Search.com offered $35 billion for Chrome, topping Perplexity’s bid

Generative search platform Search.com has unveiled a $35 billion offer to buy the Chrome browser, surpassing Perplexity’s previously announced $34.5 billion bid.

Search.com’s bid for the Chrome browser is $35 billion, surpassing Perplexity’s previously announced $34.5 billion bid.

America-based Search.com, part of Public Good, has confirmed that its bid has been backed by investment bank J.P. Morgan. If the deal is successful, the company intends to change its approach to Chrome development. In a press release, it said it plans to return some profits to users, generate revenue for publishers and reduce online advertising.

Model with refunds and shares for publishers

In contrast to Perplexity, Search.com has outlined specific principles for the browser’s future development. Among the announced innovations are payments to users for using Chrome, an equity program for media platforms, and a move away from aggressive advertising.

The idea of cashbacks for web surfing is partly reminiscent of the monetization model used by the Brave browser. That said, Search.com’s initiative may be of particular interest to publishers whose revenues are being eroded by systems like AI Overview and AI Mode. These tools utilize media content without link clicks, which limits traffic to source sites.

Search.com’s initiative may be of particular interest to publishers whose revenues are declining due to systems like AI Overview and AI Mode.

The proposal to reduce the number of ad units in the browser is also of interest, but also raises questions about the sources of funding for such a model: in the absence of advertising, it may not be economically viable to implement cashback and author support.

Google remains silent amid growing pressure

Neither Google nor Perplexity has yet to comment on the situation. Search.com submitted its proposal this morning, but there has been no official response either.

Search.com’s statement emphasized that in the event of a forced separation of Google’s assets, which the U.S. Department of Justice is seeking, the outcome of the deal could be determined by the end of the year. However, the likelihood that the company will actually part ways with Chrome before Christmas is extremely slim. Even if the court rules, Google could appeal the ruling to the Court of Appeals and then to the U.S. Supreme Court.