This was my reaction to the rumored
Google–Perplexity deal, in which AI company Perplexity offered to buy Google
Chrome for $34.5 billion at the same time the DOJ is trying to force Google to
sell Chrome. This is a bad deal for multiple reasons.
First of all, the DOJ should not
be forcing Google to sell Chrome. Chrome does not have a monopoly over the
browser market. The browser that comes preinstalled on 80% of desktops
worldwide is Microsoft Edge — and it still gets ignored. Microsoft literally
has to beg users to stick with Edge. Every time someone types “Google” or
“Chrome” into Edge, it throws up ads telling you to use Bing, Copilot, and
Edge… and people still click away. The free market has decided, overwhelmingly,
that they want Chrome. The DOJ should not punish companies for being
successful.
Perplexity, of course, wants Chrome
for the user base — despite having just released its own Chromium-based AI
browser, Comet. And while Perplexity’s offer massively undervalues Chrome
(Google would never sell — Chrome is a core part of their business), at least
Perplexity has financial and technological motives at heart.
“I think the dumbest deal for Google just dropped and I think it’s utterly ridiculous.”
Ecosia — the Bing-based search engine nobody uses, the one
that plants a tree every 30 searches — offered to buy Chrome and then invest 60%
of the profits from the trillion-dollar browser (over the next ten years)
into some vague “eco” projects.
“Yes, trillions and trillions of dollars will just be sent off to save and plant some trees somewhere someplace to go stop quote unquote climate change.”
It makes zero sense. Google would
give up one of the most valuable software products in history… for trees. The
truth is simple: Chrome isn’t broken. The market isn’t broken. People use
Chrome because it’s the best. Microsoft Edge is still there. Safari is still
there. Firefox is still there. If people wanted to switch, they could. But they
don’t. That’s not a monopoly — that’s competition playing out.
And here’s the kicker: even while
the DOJ tries to force Google off the iPhone as the default search engine, Apple
is reportedly exploring using Google’s Gemini AI to power Siri. That didn’t
happen because of lawsuits. That didn’t happen because regulators “saved”
competition. It happened because the free market works. Apple wants the best AI
tools, and right now, Google has them.
“Do you know why this is happening? Not because the DOJ forced them. It’s just because Google is the best.”
And that’s the point: “That is the power of the free market — that is how capitalism works.”
So here’s my stance:
- The
Perplexity deal undervalues Chrome and makes no sense.
- The
Ecosia deal is even more ridiculous.
- And
the DOJ? They’re out of touch, punishing success, and wasting resources.
Please make the comments constructive, and vulgarity will not be tolerated!