20% AI software program devs employed 2025 ex-employees

With the AI expertise wars heating up between corporations like OpenAI, Meta and Anthropic, a method Google has been competing is by aggressively rehiring former workers.

Some 20% of software program engineers engaged on synthetic intelligence that Google employed in 2025 have been so-called boomerang workers, a rise from prior years, CNBC has realized. A Google spokesperson confirmed the statistic stays correct as of December, and mentioned the corporate noticed a bounce within the variety of AI researchers coming from main rivals in comparison with 2024.

“We’re energized by our momentum, compute, and expertise — engineers wish to work right here to maintain constructing groundbreaking merchandise,” the spokesperson mentioned in a press release.

John Casey, Google’s head of compensation, not too long ago instructed workers in a gathering concerning the rehiring. Casey mentioned AI-focused software program engineers are drawn to Google’s deep pockets and hefty computational infrastructure that is wanted to carry out superior AI work, in accordance with audio reviewed by CNBC.

Google has a big pool of ex-employees to mine, notably after its largest ever spherical of layoffs in early 2023, when mum or dad firm Alphabet reduce 12,000 jobs, lowering headcount by 6%. That adopted a market downturn pushed by hovering inflation and rising rates of interest. Google has since continued with rolling layoffs and buyouts.

Throughout the trade, worker boomerangs are up, in accordance with knowledge printed earlier this 12 months by ADP Analysis, with the sector it classifies as info exhibiting the starkest numbers.

Google has been racing to catch up in generative AI after a gradual begin that adopted OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT in late 2022. After fumbling a variety of product rollouts, the corporate has bounced again this 12 months, because of hefty investments in AI infrastructure and the success of its Gemini app. Google introduced its newest mannequin, Gemini 3, final month.

Alphabet’s inventory worth is up greater than 60% this 12 months, outperforming all of its megacap friends.

As a historic hotbed of engineering and innovation, Google has lengthy been a spot the place rivals have turned to attempt to poach expertise. That is nonetheless the case.

Earlier this 12 months, Microsoft employed round two dozen workers from Google’s DeepMind AI analysis lab, CNBC reported in July. OpenAI, in the meantime, has opened its wallets huge, together with Meta. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman instructed workers in June that Meta had been providing $100 million signing bonuses, and that he was aggressively attempting to retain staffers.

Late final 12 months, Google introduced again a significant determine in AI: Noam Shazeer.

Shazeer and Daniel De Freitas left Google in 2021 to start out AI platform Character.AI, reportedly departing after Google rebuffed their makes an attempt to attempt to get the corporate to push its inside chatbot ahead.

Together with different members of the Character.AI analysis crew, Shazeer and De Freitas rejoined DeepMind in August 2024 below a licensing deal for the startup’s know-how.

During the last 12 months, Google has taken extra dangers, delivery merchandise extra rapidly, even when they don’t seem to be considered as fully prepared. Google has additionally made a companywide effort to take away paperwork, enacting widespread worker buyouts and eliminating greater than one-third of its managers overseeing small groups, CNBC reported in August.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who got here out of retirement in 2023, has at instances personally reached out to potential candidates to recruit them, in accordance with individuals conversant in the matter who requested to not be named as a result of they weren’t approved to talk to the media. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has additionally reportedly reached out to researchers on behalf of his firm.

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