Core Insights - Major tech companies are increasingly engaging in "reverse acquisition-style hiring" to acquire top talent and technology from AI startups, often leaving the remaining employees struggling in the aftermath [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][11] Group 1: Reverse Acquisition Trends - Companies like Meta, Google, and Microsoft are prioritizing the acquisition of talent and technology licenses over outright purchases of startups, which helps them avoid regulatory scrutiny [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][11] - Since March of the previous year, there have been six notable instances of this trend, with expectations for more as the competition for AI talent intensifies [3] Group 2: Specific Company Actions - Google DeepMind acquired key personnel and technology from Windsurf for $2.4 billion, without taking equity or control of the startup [4] - Meta's acquisition of Scale AI involved a $15 billion deal for core engineers and a 49% stake, leading to a 14% workforce reduction shortly after [5] - Google spent $2.7 billion on Character.AI, acquiring its founders and technology while shifting the startup's focus to AI character development [6] - Amazon's acquisition of Covariant for $380 million included hiring three founders and a quarter of the staff, while obtaining a non-exclusive license for its robotics technology [8] - Amazon also acquired Adept, hiring its CEO and most of the team, while the startup shifted to a more sustainable business model [9][10] - Microsoft's acquisition of Inflection for approximately $653 million involved hiring its founders and most employees, with a significant portion of the funds allocated for licensing its AI models [11]