Google hires Windsurf founders, derailing OpenAI's $3 billion acquisition

Google's DeepMind has secured key talent from AI coding startup Windsurf, outmaneuvering OpenAI's $3 billion acquisition attempt. Windsurf's founders and top researchers will join Google to help develop the Gemini AI platform, with Google paying approximately $2.4 billion for the hires. Windsurf will remain independent, with new leadership in place. This move highlights the ongoing competition in the AI industry and the trend of tech giants acquiring talent without full company acquisitions to avoid antitrust scrutiny.