Particle.news
Download on the App Store
18 ARTICLES
·
4h ago

Google Hires Windsurf CEO After OpenAI Acquisition Collapses

Google will pay $2.4 billion for a nonexclusive license to Windsurf’s AI coding technology to fold its founders alongside top researchers into DeepMind’s agentic coding initiative.

Image
The Google logo is seen outside the company's offices in London, Britain, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso/File Photo
Image

Overview

  • OpenAI’s exclusivity period expired on July 11, ending its planned $3 billion takeover of coding assistant startup Windsurf.
  • Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen and a group of R&D employees have joined Google DeepMind under a reverse-acquihire arrangement.
  • Google secured a nonexclusive license to Windsurf’s AI coding platform without taking any equity stake or control of the independent startup.
  • The newly hired team will focus on agentic coding developments within DeepMind’s Gemini project to advance autonomous software generation.
  • Windsurf continues under interim CEO Jeff Wang and president Graham Moreno, with its remaining 250 employees maintaining enterprise AI coding services.