OpenAI’s deal to buy Windsurf is off, and Google will instead hire the Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and some of Windsurf’s R&D employees from the company to join DeepMind, Google and Windsurf announced Friday.

In a shocking twist, Google DeepMind is now hiring Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and some of the startup’s top AI coding talent. A Google spokesperson confirmed the hiring of Windsurf’s leaders in a statement to TechCrunch.

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 is set to hire Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and some top researchers at the artificial intelligence startup. According to

After failed talks with OpenAI, AI coding startup Windsurf’s top talent, including Indian-origin CEO Varun Mohan, joins Google DeepMind to boost Gemini’s agentic coding and tool use capabilities

Alphabet has acquired talent and licensing rights from AI startup Windsurf, hiring its top executives for DeepMind. Windsurf previously sought a $3 billion acquisition by OpenAI, which fell through due to tensions with Microsoft.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google is hiring top talent from Windsurf for its artificial intelligence division as OpenAI’s $3 billion agreement to buy the AI coding startup falls apart.

Google has agreed to pay about $2.4 billion in a deal to license the technology of artificial intelligence-assisted coding tool Windsurf, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Google has struck a licensing deal with coding startup Windsurf, upending OpenAI’s $3 billion offer to acquire the startup after the clock on the deal’s exclusivity period expired.