A scenario that seemed like pure science fiction just a few years ago is now being debated in court: if Google is forced to divest Chrome, a surprising contender is ready to step in — AI startup Perplexity.
Perplexity CEO Dmitry Shevelenko declared in court that his company is prepared to take over the management and development of the browser should the U.S. Department of Justice succeed in securing structural remedies in its antitrust case.
While it might seem like a provocative statement, it is in fact a manifesto of the ambitions of a new AI player.
Perplexity, known for its search-like tools powered by LLMs, doesn’t just see the browser as a platform — for them, it’s a window into distributed AI assistance, where every user click becomes a point of smart activation, from hints to generative analytics.
In this vision, the browser is no longer just an access tool; it is a standalone AI context, an interface between human and algorithm.
Shevelenko used his court appearance to accuse Google of erecting barriers to new market entrants.
According to him, preinstallation contracts and search-related agreements “systematically suffocate innovation,” relegating companies like Perplexity to the role of mere spectators.
His presence in court is symbolic: the new generation of startups is no longer afraid of Big Tech — they are demanding access to the infrastructure.
If the sale of Chrome becomes reality, it would be a tectonic shift in the architecture of the user internet. And if an AI company, built on principles of generative navigation and personalization, were to lead Chrome into its next phase, it wouldn’t just be a new browser — it would mark the beginning of a new era in browsing.
