{"id":31638,"date":"2025-07-12T02:03:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-12T02:03:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=31638"},"modified":"2025-07-12T02:24:36","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T02:24:36","slug":"google-hires-top-a-i-leaders-from-windsurf-which-openai-was-courting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=31638","title":{"rendered":"Google Hires Top A.I. Leaders From Windsurf, Which OpenAI Was Courting"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">In a $2.4 billion deal, Google recruited the chief executive and a co-founder of Windsurf, which OpenAI had been in talks to buy, as the battle to dominate artificial intelligence escalates.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Google has joined Silicon Valley\u2019s scramble to scoop up artificial intelligence engineers, hiring the leaders of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/13\/technology\/openai-windsurf-talks.html\" title>Windsurf<\/a>, a start-up that developed an A.I.-powered computer programming tool, in a $2.4 billion deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The move, which became public on Friday, was the latest example of how tech companies are waging battles to suck up A.I. talent. The deal deepens Google\u2019s bench of A.I. engineers while also scoring it a point against OpenAI, one of its biggest challengers in the field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In May, OpenAI was in talks to acquire Windsurf in a $3 billion deal that would help add thousands of new customers and expand OpenAI\u2019s offerings. But the talks broke down in recent weeks because Windsurf\u2019s leaders had concerns about the information it might have to share about its product with Microsoft, one of OpenAI\u2019s largest investors, two people with knowledge of the deal said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Under Google\u2019s agreement, Varun Mohan, the chief executive of Windsurf, and Douglas Chen, a co-founder, will join Google DeepMind, the company\u2019s A.I. division, along with several of Windsurf\u2019s research and development employees. Google is also paying for a nonexclusive license for Windsurf technology. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe\u2019re excited to welcome some top A.I. coding talent from Windsurf\u2019s team to Google DeepMind to advance our work in agentic coding,\u201d Google said in a statement. As part of the statement, Mr. Mohan and Mr. Chen said they were excited to join Google.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/openai\/705999\/google-windsurf-ceo-openai\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Verge<\/a> and <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theinformation.com\/articles\/openai-windsurf-break-acquisition-talks-microsoft-ip-concerns\" title rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">The Information<\/a> earlier reported on Windsurf\u2019s deal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Silicon Valley giants including <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/06\/10\/technology\/meta-new-ai-lab-superintelligence.html\" title>Meta<\/a> have lately poached A.I. talent from rivals and start-ups, sometimes offering compensation packages as high as $100 million. Google has chosen to pay to bring on top A.I. talent from start-ups rather than acquiring the smaller businesses outright. In 2023, Google agreed to pay <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/08\/08\/technology\/ai-start-ups-google-microsoft-amazon.html\" title>$3 billion to license technology from Character.AI<\/a>, a chatbot start-up. The deal allowed Google to hire Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who both had left Google to start Character.ai.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-kbghgg\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F11%2Ftechnology%2Fgoogle-windsurf-openai.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F11%2Ftechnology%2Fgoogle-windsurf-openai.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F11%2Ftechnology%2Fgoogle-windsurf-openai.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\" data-tpl=\"t\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F07%2F11%2Ftechnology%2Fgoogle-windsurf-openai.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a $2.4 billion deal, Google recruited the chief executive and a co-founder of Windsurf, which OpenAI had been in talks to buy, as the battle to dominate artificial intelligence escalates.Google has joined Silicon Valley\u2019s scramble to scoop up artificial intelligence engineers, hiring the leaders of Windsurf, a start-up that developed an A.I.-powered computer programming tool, in a $2.4 billion deal.The move, which became public on Friday, was the latest example of how tech companies are waging battles to suck up A.I. talent. The deal deepens Google\u2019s bench of A.I. engineers while also scoring it a point against OpenAI, one of its biggest challengers in the field.In May, OpenAI was in talks to acquire Windsurf in a $3 billion deal that would help add thousands of new customers and expand OpenAI\u2019s offerings. But the talks broke down in recent weeks because Windsurf\u2019s leaders had concerns about the information it might have to share about its product with Microsoft, one of OpenAI\u2019s largest investors, two people with knowledge of the deal said.Under Google\u2019s agreement, Varun Mohan, the chief executive of Windsurf, and Douglas Chen, a co-founder, will join Google DeepMind, the company\u2019s A.I. division, along with several of Windsurf\u2019s research and development employees. Google is also paying for a nonexclusive license for Windsurf technology. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to welcome some top A.I. coding talent from Windsurf\u2019s team to Google DeepMind to advance our work in agentic coding,\u201d Google said in a statement. As part of the statement, Mr. Mohan and Mr. Chen said they were excited to join Google.The Verge and The Information earlier reported on Windsurf\u2019s deal.Silicon Valley giants including Meta have lately poached A.I. talent from rivals and start-ups, sometimes offering compensation packages as high as $100 million. Google has chosen to pay to bring on top A.I. talent from start-ups rather than acquiring the smaller businesses outright. In 2023, Google agreed to pay $3 billion to license technology from Character.AI, a chatbot start-up. The deal allowed Google to hire Noam Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas, who both had left Google to start Character.ai.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31640,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31638"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31641,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31638\/revisions\/31641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}