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

• Windsurf's CEO and several key researchers at the AI coding assistant startup are headed to Google.

• On Friday, the $3 billion deal with OpenAI had been called off.

• "We're excited to continue bringing the benefits of Gemini to software developers everywhere," Google said.

Windsurf's CEO and several key researchers at the AI coding assistant startup are headed to Google.

In a statement to Business Insider, a Google spokesperson confirmed that Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan and others from the startup would be joining its DeepMind team as part of the company's continued investment "in its advanced capabilities for developers."

"We're excited to welcome some top AI coding talent from Windsurf's team to Google DeepMind to advance our work in agentic coding," Google's spokesperson said. "We're excited to continue bringing the benefits of Gemini to software developers everywhere."

Mohan and Windsurf cofounder Douglas Chen said in a statement to BI that the pair are "excited to be joining Google DeepMind along with some of the Windsurf team."

"We are proud of what Windsurf has built over the last four years and are excited to see it move forward with their world-class team and kick-start the next phase," Mohan and Chen's statement continued.

On Friday, The Verge first reported that Windsurf's tentative $3 billion deal with OpenAI was off the table.

Business Insider previously reported that Windsurf's potential to roll up to OpenAI, a direct competitor to Microsoft's Copilot, had been sharpening tensions between OpenAI and Microsoft. Microsoft is OpenAI's biggest investor.

Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider