OpenAI’s deal to accumulate the viral AI coding startup Windsurf fell apart on Friday, in accordance with The Verge.
In a stunning twist, Google DeepMind is now hiring Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and a number of the startup’s high AI coding expertise. A Google spokesperson confirmed the hiring of Windsurf’s leaders in a press release to TechCrunch.
“We’re excited to welcome some high AI coding expertise from Windsurf’s crew to Google DeepMind to advance our work in agentic coding,” stated Google spokesperson Chris Pappas in an e-mail to TechCrunch.
Notably, Google isn’t taking a stake in Windsurf and won’t have any management over the corporate. Nevertheless, as a part of the deal, Google may have a nonexclusive license to sure Windsurf know-how, although the AI coding startup stays free to license its know-how to others.
The deal represents AI ecosystem’s newest reverse-acquihire, wherein an organization acquires a startup’s high expertise and licenses its know-how however doesn’t outright purchase the corporate. Google beforehand performed an identical deal to rent away Character.AI CEO Noam Shazeer, as did Microsoft to rent Mustafa Suleyman. These offers have helped a number of large tech corporations enhance their place within the AI race with out drawing regulatory scrutiny.
“We’re excited to be becoming a member of Google DeepMind together with a number of the Windsurf crew,” stated Mohan and Chen in a press release to TechCrunch. “We’re happy with what Windsurf has constructed during the last 4 years and are excited to see it transfer ahead with their world class crew and kick-start the subsequent section.”
As of Friday, Windsurf’s head of enterprise, Jeff Wang, will take over because the startup’s interim CEO, he introduced in a post on social media. Most of Windsurf’s 250 particular person crew isn’t headed to Google DeepMind and can proceed providing its AI coding instruments for enterprise prospects.
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