Google’s “Boomerang” Strategy: Rehiring 20% of AI Engineers as Former Employees in 2025
In a remarkable trend that underscores the intense competition for AI talent, Google has disclosed that nearly 20% of its AI software engineers hired in 2025 were, in fact, former employees returning to the fold. This “boomerang” hiring strategy represents a significant uptick from previous years, highlighting Google’s aggressive stance in the ongoing AI talent wars.
Google finds itself in a heated race for AI expertise, pitted against formidable rivals such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. Earlier this year, Microsoft managed to poach approximately two dozen employees from Google’s esteemed DeepMind AI research lab. Adding fuel to the fire, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman revealed in June that Meta had been dangling $100 million signing bonuses to attract top-tier talent.
Following the largest layoffs in its history back in 2023, Google now has an unusually large reservoir of former employees to draw from. Over the past year, the company has increasingly been willing to take risks, pushing out AI products at a faster pace—even if they aren’t deemed fully ready—in a bid to maintain its foothold in the rapidly shifting AI landscape.
Source: CNBC