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Google DeepMind Faces Backlash Over Aggressive Noncompete Agreements in UK

Employees voice frustration as Google's UK-based AI division enforces yearlong noncompete clauses to retain talent during the intensifying AI race.

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In a bid to stay ahead in the AI race, Google is reportedly hiring employees and paying them to remain idle.
Demis Hassabis, chief executive officer of DeepMind Technologies Ltd., during a Bloomberg Television interview at the Google DeepMind headquarters in London, UK, on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Google DeepMind has released a new version of AlphaFold which broke ground predicting notoriously tricky protein structures that puts the artificial intelligence software on a path to make breakthroughs in biology research and create a business that its chief executive says could be worth north of $100 billion. Photographer: Jose Sarmento Matos/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Overview

  • Google DeepMind is enforcing noncompete agreements in the UK that prevent employees from joining competitors for up to a year, even while paying them during this period.
  • The practice is part of Google's strategy to retain top AI talent as competition with rivals like OpenAI and Microsoft intensifies.
  • Unlike the U.S., where the FTC banned most noncompete agreements in 2024, the UK allows such clauses, creating regulatory disparities.
  • Affected employees have expressed frustration over restricted career mobility, with some reportedly reaching out to Microsoft AI VP Nando de Freitas for advice.
  • Google defends the policy as market-standard and selectively applied to protect its business interests, but critics argue it stifles innovation in a fast-moving field.