Google has recruited Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan and key R&D staff through a $2.4 billion licensing and compensation deal, intensifying competition in AI talent acquisition. While not investing directly in Windsurf, Google obtained a nonexclusive license to its technology, boosting DeepMind's agentic coding capabilities and expanding Gemini's developer reach. This move follows Windsurf's failed billion-dollar acquisition talks with OpenAI, highlighting fierce rivalry among tech giants like Meta and Microsoft in AI development. Windsurf will operate independently under interim leadership.