Google pays $2.4 billion in AI-powered technology deal

Google has agreed to pay approximately $2.4 billion in a deal to license technology from the AI-powered programming tool Windsurf, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A company spokesperson said the company has hired Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and select members of the coding tool’s research and development team to join DeepMind, a move to bolster its position in the race for AI leadership.

“Gemini is one of the best models available, and we’ve invested in its advanced capabilities for developers,” Google spokesperson Chris Pappas told The Verge in a statement.

“We’re excited to welcome some of the best AI programming talent from the Windsurf team to Google DeepMind to advance our work on agent programming.” For his part, Mohan and Chen said in a statement: “We are delighted to join Google DeepMind, along with some members of the Windsurf team. We are proud of what Windsurf has accomplished over the past four years and are excited to see it move forward with its global team and embark on the next phase.”