New Delhi: In a significant move in the global race for AI talent, tech giant Google has hired Indian-origin Varun Mohan, co-founder and CEO of AI coding startup Windsurf. The development comes as part of Google's broader strategy to accelerate innovation in AI-assisted software development.
Demis Hassabis, Co-Founder and CEO of Google DeepMind, confirmed the hiring in a post on social media platform X. “Thrilled to welcome @windsurf_ai founders Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen and some of the brilliant Windsurf eng team to @GoogleDeepMind,” Hassabis wrote on Saturday. “Excited to be working with them to turbocharge our Gemini efforts on coding agents, tool use, and much more. Great to have you on board!”
The partnership includes a $2.4 billion licensing and compensation agreement, announced on Friday. While the deal grants Google a non-exclusive license to key aspects of Windsurf’s intellectual property, it is not an acquisition or equity investment. Windsurf will continue to operate independently and retain the right to license its technology to other companies.
Windsurf, known for its innovative approach to “vibe coding”—a user-friendly, AI-powered method of software development—has rapidly gained popularity among developers. The startup’s reputation for pushing the boundaries of AI coding tools has made it a valuable addition to Google’s growing AI ecosystem.
Under the agreement, several key members of the Windsurf team, including co-founder Douglas Chen, will join Google DeepMind. Their expertise will support the development of "agentic coding"—an emerging field focused on building AI systems that act as collaborative development partners rather than mere code-completion tools.
The move is also seen as a strategic win for Google and a setback for OpenAI, which was reportedly in exclusive talks to acquire Windsurf earlier this year in a deal estimated at $3 billion. An OpenAI spokesperson confirmed that the exclusivity period has ended.
This development adds to the intensifying competition among major tech companies in the AI sector. Microsoft is advancing its own AI-driven coding tools through the “agent mode” in Visual Studio Code, while Meta recently brought on Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang to lead its AI strategy as part of a $14.3 billion investment.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently disclosed that 30 percent of the company's code is now written by AI—a reflection of the rapid integration of artificial intelligence into software development workflows.
Google has already attracted top AI talent from platforms such as Character.AI and is now focusing on enhancing its Gemini platform. With the addition of Windsurf’s core team, Google is aiming to redefine the landscape of AI-assisted coding.
Jeff Wang, interim CEO of Windsurf, said on X that the company would continue to develop its enterprise product independently, while its founding team contributes to a new era of innovation at Google DeepMind.
With IANS inputs