Overview

• Cognition closed its deal for Windsurf after a weekend of negotiations, ensuring every employee receives a payout by waiving cliffs and accelerating equity vesting.
• Google DeepMind earlier executed a $2.4 billion reverse acquihire of CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen and lead researchers to license Windsurf’s AI coding technology without taking equity.
• OpenAI’s planned $3 billion acquisition of Windsurf unraveled when Mohan rejected the offer to join Google DeepMind, triggering a leadership exodus.
• Meta has escalated nine-figure compensation offers, including packages above $300 million, to assemble a superintelligence lab under Mark Zuckerberg’s direct recruitment efforts.
• Tech giants are increasingly using reverse acquihires and licensing pacts as antitrust pressure rises, reshaping the market for AI development tools and fueling talent competition.