Startup Originals Team
In the high-stakes world of artificial intelligence, few stories shine brighter than that of Varun Mohan-an Indian-origin engineer whose determination and innovation have earned him and his team a $2.4billion deal with Google. This monumental agreement not only marks a seismic shift in the ongoing AI talent wars but puts Mohan at the heart of the global conversation on technology, entrepreneurship, and the value of world-class education.
Early Life and Education: Foundations of Excellence
Varun Mohan was born in Sunnyvale, California, to Indian-origin parents who deeply valued education. He attended The Harker School in San Jose, renowned for producing science and technology leaders. Even then, Mohan stood out as a math and coding Olympiad prodigy-regularly excelling in competitions that require deep analytical thinking and lightning-fast problem-solving skills.
Mohan’s passion for math and computing led him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the world’s top universities. There, he embarked on an exceptionally challenging path, completing both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) by 2017. At MIT, he specialized in operating systems, distributed computing, machine learning, performance engineering, and algorithms-fields critical to the AI revolution.
Tech Industry Experience: Building the Skills to Lead
After MIT, Mohan sought practical experience at top-tier tech companies, working with:
- Quora
- Samsung
- Databricks
- Robotics company Nuro
Across these roles, he honed his expertise in backend systems, machine learning infrastructure, robotics, and big data-laying the groundwork for the breakthroughs yet to come.
Founding Windsurf: Pushing the Boundaries of AI-powered Coding
In 2021, Mohan co-founded Codeium (later rebranded to Windsurf) with MIT classmate Douglas Chen. The company’s initial focus was on GPU virtualization. However, the real breakthrough arrived when they built an AI-native integrated development environment (IDE), capable of helping developers write, refactor, and understand code via large language models. Their flagship platform, Cascade, enabled developers to code by simply speaking, making formerly complex tasks far simpler and faster.
Windsurf’s innovation quickly attracted millions of developers and major enterprise clients. Within months, they raised $240million in funding and achieved a $1.25billion valuation-establishing themselves at the forefront of AI-assisted software development.
The Big League: AI Talent Wars, Billion-Dollar Bids, and a New Era
The OpenAI Bid That Almost Was:
Earlier in 2025, OpenAI moved to acquire Windsurf for $3billion. However, the deal collapsed due to tensions involving Microsoft (OpenAI’s main backer), primarily because of overlaps with products like GitHub Copilot. The exclusivity window lapsed, and Windsurf began exploring other partnerships.
Google Sweeps In:
After OpenAI’s deal fell through, Google DeepMind swooped in with a $2.4billion agreement-not for a full acquisition, but for a nonexclusive license to Windsurf’s key technologies. Along with the deal, Varun Mohan, Douglas Chen, and several senior engineers joined Google’s DeepMind unit to work on projects like coding agents for the Gemini platform. Notably, Windsurf remains an independent company, free to license its products to other clients.
Leadership Transition and Cognition Labs Acquisition:
With Mohan and Chen moving to Google, Jeff Wang became Windsurf’s interim CEO. Shortly thereafter, Cognition Labs – creators of the AI coding agent Devin, officially acquired Windsurf, gaining its infrastructure and a talented team that kept the company’s momentum alive. This move underscores an essential lesson in the modern AI arms race: talent, not just technology, is the ultimate prize.
The Legacy: What Makes Varun Mohan’s Journey Special?
Varun Mohan’s success is a testament to:
- A strong foundation in education and problem-solving
- Relentless pursuit of practical experience
- The courage to pivot a company’s direction and innovate
- Astute navigation of complex business negotiations in the AI industry
He joins a new pantheon of tech leaders whose journeys inspire a whole generation of builders-showing exactly what’s possible when world-class knowledge meets vision and resilience.
