Who is Varun Mohan, Windsurf CEO hired by Google to boost Gemini AI project

Google hires Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan & co-founder Douglas Chen to lead its Gemini AI project, signalling a major move in the AI talent war against rivals like OpenAI

Tech giant Google has brought in Varun Mohan, co-founder and CEO of Windsurf, as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.

 

According to Analytics India Magazine, Google signed a $2.4 billion agreement for a “nonexclusive license to certain Windsurf technologies”. This allows Windsurf to continue offering its tools to other companies despite the Google deal.

 

Before striking a deal with Google, Windsurf was reportedly in talks with OpenAI over a potential $3 billion acquisition, according to CNBC. Google’s acquisition of key Windsurf talent underlines the growing rivalry between tech giants in the space of AI-assisted developer tools and agentic coding. Both Mohan and his Windsurf co-founder Douglas Chen have joined Google’s AI division, DeepMind, and are expected to contribute to the advancement of its Gemini platform.

 

Experts see Google’s hiring of Windsurf’s key figures as another sign of the fierce competition in the AI sector. Companies like Google and OpenAI are racing to attract the best minds and secure proprietary technologies to lead the next wave of software innovation.

Who is Varun Mohan?

Varun Mohan studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he combined engineering skills with entrepreneurial ambition. According to LinkedIn, he has led teams focused on AI-powered software development. In 2025, he and several senior members from Windsurf’s research and development team joined Google DeepMind to help shape the future of its Gemini AI project.

 

Jeff Wang, now serving as Windsurf’s interim CEO, offered reassurance about the company’s direction following the leadership changes. “Most of Windsurf’s world-class team will continue to build the Windsurf product to maximise its impact in the enterprise,” Wang said. He also confirmed that the startup remains committed to developing advanced AI tools for developers and businesses.

Windsurf's origins and rapid growth

In 2021, Varun Mohan co-founded Codeium, later renamed Windsurf, alongside his MIT classmate and long-time friend Douglas Chen. The startup originally focused on GPU virtualisation infrastructure but later pivoted to building an AI-native integrated development environment (IDE), including an IDE plugin.

 

Under Mohan’s leadership, Windsurf attracted over one million developers within just four months of launching its product. The company raised $243 million in funding, pushing its valuation to $1.25 billion.

Championing agentic IDEs

Mohan is seen as one of the pioneers behind the agentic IDE concept, which merges large language models with structured agentic workflows like Cascade. He believes that AI will take over routine programming tasks, enabling engineers to concentrate on identifying problems and designing systems.

 

Earlier in his career, Mohan worked at major tech firms such as Nuro, Quora, LinkedIn, Databricks, and Samsung, according to a report by The Indian Express. These roles gave him a solid foundation in software engineering, systems development, and algorithm implementation. He has been widely praised for his analytical skills and ability to convert complex algorithms into real-world applications.