When an Indian origin founder’s AI coding startup becomes the prize in a bidding war between OpenAI and Google, it showcases how crucial Indian origin/Indian talent is to creating the next generation of AI coding tools that are reshaping how the world writes software!
Varun Mohan’s journey from MIT to founding Windsurf (originally Codeium) and ultimately joining Google DeepMind is one for the books.
What is the news?
- Google has struck a licensing deal with AI coding startup Windsurf after OpenAI’s $3 billion acquisition offer expired, with Indian founder Varun Mohan joining Google DeepMind to advance agentic coding capabilities.
- Founded in 2021 by MIT classmates, including Varun Mohan and Douglas Chen as Codeium, Windsurf had raised funding at a $2.85 billion valuation and operates in the red-hot AI coding space alongside Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot and other major players.
Why is it interesting?
- Varun Mohan’s transition from founding Windsurf to joining Google DeepMind for ‘agentic coding’ capabilities demonstrates how Indian tech leadership is becoming essential for the next generation of autonomous software development.