Google's answer to win AI talent war? Hire back 20% of its former employees

Google

Google has stepped up its fight for artificial intelligence talent by turning to a resource it knows well: its former employees. In 2025, around 20% of the AI software engineers hired by the company were boomerang workers who had previously left and later returned. The figure, confirmed by the company as accurate as of December, underlines how fierce the competition for experienced AI talent has become.

The renewed focus on rehiring former staff comes as Google finds itself in an escalating talent battle with rivals including OpenAI, Meta and Anthropic. According to reporting by CNBC, Google has also seen a noticeable rise in AI researchers joining from competing labs compared with last year, signalling a more aggressive approach to recruitment across the board.

Internally, Google executives have framed the strategy as a practical response to market realities. John Casey, the company’s head of compensation, told employees that AI engineers are increasingly drawn to organisations with deep financial reserves and large-scale computing infrastructure. In that context, Google believes its ability to offer access to vast datasets, custom chips and global data centres remains a powerful draw for researchers looking to work at the cutting edge of AI development.

The company’s large pool of former employees makes this approach easier than it might be for others. After parent company Alphabet cut around 12,000 roles in early 2023, many highly skilled engineers left the organisation. Since then, Google has continued to restructure through smaller layoffs and voluntary buyouts, inadvertently creating a sizeable alumni network that can now be tapped as hiring priorities shift back toward growth areas like AI.

This boomerang trend is not limited to Google. Data from ADP Research suggests that employee returns are becoming more common across the technology sector, particularly in information and software roles. One of the most high-profile examples is AI pioneer Noam Shazeer, who left Google in 2021 to co-found Character.AI after internal resistance to chatbot projects. He rejoined Google DeepMind in 2024 under a licensing arrangement, a move widely seen as a signal that Google was serious about repairing relationships with top-tier researchers.

The broader industry context remains intensely competitive. Microsoft has reportedly hired dozens of engineers from Google’s DeepMind unit, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has publicly claimed that Meta has offered eye-watering signing bonuses to lure top talent. Even Google co-founder Sergey Brin has been personally involved in outreach to prospective hires since returning to active work at the company.

Despite the pressure, Google has made tangible progress on the product front. The launch of its latest Gemini models has helped restore confidence among investors, and the company’s stock has surged this year, outperforming other megacap technology firms. That momentum has likely made it easier to persuade former employees that returning now offers both technical ambition and career stability.