In a significant boost to its artificial intelligence capabilities, Google has hired Varun Mohan, an Indian-origin tech entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of AI coding startup Windsurf, as part of its aggressive push to enhance the Gemini platform and develop next-generation coding tools.
The announcement was made by Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, who confirmed the onboarding of several key Windsurf engineers, including co-founder Douglas Chen. The move signals Google’s intensified focus on “agentic coding”—an emerging AI paradigm aimed at making coding tools behave more like autonomous collaborators rather than basic auto-complete systems.
“Thrilled to welcome @windsurf_ai founders Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen and some of the brilliant Windsurf eng team to @GoogleDeepMind,” Hassabis posted on X. “Excited to be working with them to turbocharge our Gemini efforts on coding agents, tool use, and much more.”
The transition includes a $2.4 billion licensing and compensation agreement that grants Google a non-exclusive license to core elements of Windsurf’s intellectual property. However, the deal does not constitute an acquisition; Windsurf will continue to operate independently, retaining the right to license its technology to other entities.
Founded on the concept of “vibe coding,” Windsurf gained traction for offering a developer-friendly, AI-assisted software development environment. While Windsurf maintains its enterprise product roadmap under interim CEO Jeff Wang, its founding team and several engineers will now contribute directly to Google’s AI development efforts.
The move is viewed as a strategic win for Google, particularly after reports that OpenAI had been in exclusive acquisition talks with Windsurf earlier this year. That exclusivity window has now closed, according to an OpenAI spokesperson.
The deal adds new momentum to the ongoing race among tech giants to lead in AI-powered software development. Microsoft has been developing “agent mode” features within Visual Studio Code, while Meta recently brought in Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang to lead its $14.3 billion AI strategy. In April, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella disclosed that nearly 30% of the company’s code is now AI-generated.
With Windsurf talent now on board, Google DeepMind is expected to enhance the Gemini platform further, reinforcing its ambition to revolutionize coding workflows using advanced AI. The company has already made high-profile hires from generative AI platforms like Character.AI, and is positioning Gemini as a centerpiece of its AI coding suite.
As the battle for AI dominance continues, Windsurf’s partial integration into Google could reshape the trajectory of developer tools and redefine how software is written in the age of intelligent machines.
(With input from IANS)
