People will always be the next big thing.
The biggest news of last week was Google’s poaching of key Windsurf talents to join its DeepMind division. This even overshadowed OpenAI’s decision to call off its acquisition of Windsurf. It created a firestorm of chatter about this being the latest “strip mining” operation by a hyperscaler.
But here’s what everyone is missing in all the social media chatter about “predatory” practices: This isn’t about corporate greed — it’s about the fundamental truth that will determine who wins the AI revolution.
What changed over one weekend
Let’s back up to reflect on the order of events.
OpenAI’s $3 billion offer to acquire Windsurf expired, opening the door for Google to swoop in with their talent-focused deal. Google paid $2.4 billion for non-exclusive rights to Windsurf’s technology — not an acquisition, but a talent grab that left the door open for the remaining company to find a new home.
Following this, last Friday, Windsurf’s CEO Varun Mohan and key researchers joined Google’s DeepMind division to work on Gemini. This left an open path for Cognition, the startup behind the viral AI coding agent Devin. In a whirlwind weekend deal, they acquired Windsurf’s IP, product, and remaining 250-person team.
Why this matters more than we think
While people are comparing this to Microsoft’s Inflection AI deal or other recent talent acquisitions, they’re missing the bigger picture.
These moves reveal a crucial insight about the future of AI competition: the war for AI will not be won by those with the most capital to build data centers packed with Blackwell graphics processing units (GPUs). And, it won’t be won by those who acquire the most data or develop the most revolutionary algorithm. It will be won by those who can recruit the best human beings.
The age of AI is ultimately about human power, not just technological power. Behind every breakthrough AI model, every innovative integrated development environment (IDE), every coding agent that can function like a junior software engineer, there are brilliant human minds making it possible. The technology is only as good as the people building, training, and refining it.
What this means for you
The frontier labs — Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and now Cognition — are all converging on one undeniable truth: Human expertise is their most valuable asset. This realization is reshaping industries, turning the talent market into a dynamic “seller’s market.”
This shift will fundamentally reshape how AI transforms business. Companies won’t just be buying AI tools; they’ll be competing for the human talent that can effectively implement, customize, and maximize these technologies. The businesses that thrive will be those that combine cutting-edge AI capabilities with skilled professionals who understand how to harness them.
This means it’s time to double down on developing your AI skills and knowledge. You may not be a developer or a startup founder, but AI as a skillset, as a knowledge set, will have value in the market. The professionals who understand how to work alongside AI, how to prompt it effectively, and how to integrate it into business processes will be the ones companies fight to hire.
There’s an old proverb that perfectly captures this moment: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
This latest news underscores a truth we at G2 have been championing: AI has truly moved beyond hype. It’s not just a feature; it’s “Always Included.”
