Windsurf's CEO is headed to Google DeepMind — not to OpenAI

In a significant move within the tech industry, the CEO of Windsurf, Varun Mohan, along with several prominent researchers from the AI coding assistant startup, are making their way to Google. A Google spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider that the Windsurf team will be joining the DeepMind division as part of Google's ongoing commitment to enhancing its development capabilities. "We’re thrilled to welcome such talented AI coding experts from Windsurf to Google DeepMind to further our efforts in agentic coding," the spokesperson stated. They expressed enthusiasm about expanding the reach of their Gemini technology to software developers worldwide. Mohan, along with Windsurf co-founder Douglas Chen, shared their excitement in a joint statement to Business Insider. They expressed pride in Windsurf's accomplishments over the past four years and enthusiasm for the future with Google's elite team. This announcement comes on the heels of news that Windsurf's potential $3 billion agreement with OpenAI has been scrapped, as initially reported by The Verge. The prospect of Windsurf aligning with OpenAI, a direct competitor to Microsoft's Copilot, had reportedly created tension between OpenAI and Microsoft, which is OpenAI's largest investor. As this story develops, further updates will shed light on the implications of these changes in leadership and partnerships in the tech landscape.