AI start-up Perplexity makes surprise bid for Google Chrome

Google's dominance of the search engine and online advertising market has come under intense scrutiny, with the technology giant embroiled in years of legal wrangling as part of two antitrust cases. A US federal judge is expected to issue a ruling this month that could see Google being ordered to break up its search business. The company has said it would appeal such a ruling, saying the idea of spinning off Chrome was an "unprecedented proposal" that would harm consumers and security. A spokesman for Perplexity told the BBC that its bid marks an "important commitment to the open web, user choice, and continuity for everyone who has chosen Chrome." As part of the proposed takeover, Perplexity said it would continue to have Google as the default search engine within Chrome, though users could adjust their settings.