Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-07-15 09:20Group 1 - The core point of the article is the cancellation of OpenAI's planned $3 billion acquisition of AI startup Windsurf, which has now partnered with Google instead [2][3] - Google will hire Windsurf's CEO Varun Mohan, co-founder Douglas Chen, and some R&D staff to join its DeepMind team, while Windsurf will remain independent with around 250 employees [2] - As part of the collaboration, Google will pay $2.4 billion for exclusive licensing of Windsurf's technology [2] Group 2 - Windsurf, previously known as Codeium, is a prominent AI programming startup based in Mountain View, California, with a recent valuation of $1.25 billion after a $150 million funding round led by General Catalyst [3] - Windsurf's annual recurring revenue (ARR) reached approximately $100 million in April, attracting attention from major tech companies like OpenAI and Google [3] - The cancellation of the acquisition was partly influenced by tensions between OpenAI and its main investor Microsoft, as Windsurf did not want Microsoft to gain its intellectual property [4] Group 3 - The collaboration between Google and Windsurf represents a new "reverse acquisition" model in the AI ecosystem, where large tech companies recruit core teams from startups and obtain technology licenses instead of direct acquisitions [4] - This trend is emerging as a strategy to avoid antitrust scrutiny, a tactic previously employed by Microsoft [4]